


Star Wars: Atonement

by Exposition_Emporium



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin loves his grandson, Atonement - Freeform, Ben Solo Lives, Bendemption, But don't fret - it really is a HEA, CW: Virus mention, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, HEA, I'm going to add as many fan theories as I can fit, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kylo Ren Redemption, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, No One's Ever Really Gone, No pregancy, Redemption, Reylo - Freeform, Somehow Ben Solo Returned, Sorry I'm connecting this to Heart of Jakku, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, They both need to discover their place in all of this, This is the story of the journey to their HEA, To me he is royalty, and Ben, and the clones, because that's what happened to stormtroopers, manipulation mentioned, so many clones, this will begin to make things right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 54,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21917539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exposition_Emporium/pseuds/Exposition_Emporium
Summary: Please do not read if you wish to remain unspoiled about The Rise of Skywalker*Rey is exhausted by the loss of Ben, the demands of being the Last Jedi, and the need to hide Ben's secret. But when she finds the Jedi Compass on Ahch-To, it will lead her where the Force needs her to be - back with her dyad.Resurrected by the Arena at Exegol, Ben Solo is pursued by the Force Wielding Sith Shades. He is rescued by the leader of a band of refugees. They call him Emperor and ask him to pilot the way back to the known galaxy. Among these refugees are a group of brothers who look strangely familiar to Ben.A solitary Final Order ISD begins its mission to single-handedly fulfill the Emperor's Contingency. They will take Corellia or destroy it.
Relationships: Conder Kyl/Sinjir Rath Velus, Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Ransolm Casterfo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 44
Kudos: 86
Collections: TROS Reylo Fix-it Fics





	1. A single chance is a galaxy of hope

**Author's Note:**

> A thousand thank you's to @pandoraspocksao3 for the rec and editing help, and the amazing @the-traveler-is-with-me for the beautiful moodboard.  
>   
> This is my fix-it. I intend for it to be canon-compliant post TROS. JJ, Lucasfilm, KK and Disney have spoken. But that doesn't mean we can't have it all.  
>   
> I can fly anything.  
>   
> I have spoken.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Nightmare wings, their feathers coiling inky black, shrouded Rey in tendrils of choking dust. She reached for her saber only for her hand to close around nothing.  
  
The saber that usually hung from her belt was nowhere to be found.  
  
Ignoring the loss, she pushed at the darkness, calling on the light.  
  
The blackness faded, the nightmare wings, once solid now became translucent gray mist.  
  
In front of her, crouched in the swirling black haze, was a creature, its head tucked defensively. It moaned a deep, mournful groan of pain and fear.  
  
She reached out with her hand, “It’s okay. I’ll help you.”  
  
The creature fell silent. Slowly, painfully, the head tilted upward, and a face – filthy, bruised beneath matted black hair – appeared.  
  
Brown eyes, eyes that had haunted her memories, rimmed with red, with channels of tears that ran down the familiar face, looked up at her with longing.  
  
“Ben?” she exhaled.  
  
“Rey?” croaked the creature, the pitiful voice rusty and low, “Is that you, Rey?”  
  
“Ben! It’s me! Let me help you. Where are you?”  
  
“Rey!” strained Ben’s voice. “Leave me! Go! They’ll catch you and we’ll both be caught!”  
  
“I can’t leave you!” she pleaded.  
  
“Go! Leave me!”  
  
Rage bristled through the bond, but she realized - it wasn’t Ben’s rage.  
  
A voice, deafeningly loud and brutal, rang through the darkness.  
  
“Join us or be consumed, scion of Skywalker!”


	2. No One Is Ever Really Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey seeks the seclusion of Atch-To, not realizing it holds a clue to what she seeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after the celebration when Rey returns from Exogol, but before the final scene on Tatooine.  
> This is un-betaed and un-grammarly'd but I'm so eager to get it out there.  
> Which means that it may change.  
> But please enjoy.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)   
  
The lightsaber cut through the air as Rey swung it in the misty Atch-To afternoon. Parry, thrust, swing. The familiar pattern of the blue blade brought her comfort.  
  
The sun filtered through sky where the clouds slowly gathered. It would storm tonight, saturating the sacred island with rain. For now, she repeated the exercises that were so familiar. She hoped that tonight she would collapse, exhausted, on the bed in the hut that once belonged to Luke Skywalker.  
  
She felt a presence. Turning quickly, she found her old master standing behind her.  
  
  
"Master Skywalker."  
He spoke, “Rey. When you were here before, I wondered why you reminded me so much of Ben. Now I know.”  
  
“The Emperor,” she refused to say his name, as if the omission might make things better, “told me that we were a dyad. Did you know this?”  
  
“A dyad is such a rare thing. I knew Ben was powerful, but I never expected this.”  
  
She swung the saber lazily.  
  
“Master Skywalker, I’ve had a dream. A nightmare, really. But it was so real.”  
  
“And you feel compelled to tell me.”  
  
She pondered for a moment, looking at the ethereal blue-shrouded figure.  
  
“Yes,” she breathed.  
  
“That must be why I’m here then.”  
  
He sat on a nearby rock. “Go on.”  
  
“I’ve been here a week, but I can’t sleep. As a child on Jakku, I would see this island as I tried to sleep. It was a place of peace. But now I am here, and peace is the farthest thing from my mind.”  
  
Rey extinguished the saber, “I don’t know if it is guilt or remembrance, but when I close my eyes, all I can see is Ben.”  
  
“Everything is still fresh. In time, it will fade.”  
  
“But Ben . . . in my dreams – my nightmares - he’s still alive. He’s chased by Sith, running for his life.”  
  
She wandered closer to where the Jedi apparition appeared.  
  
“Master Luke, I know he’s gone forever, but could you tell him that I miss him and I’m sorry?”  
  
Luke’s face wrinkled, puzzled.  
  
“I can’t.”  
  
“Why? You must forgive him. He brought me back from the dead. He proved he’s good.”  
  
“That’s not it. He’s not here.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“He should be here with us. But he’s not.”  
  
Exasperated, Rey scolded him, “You’re just figuring this out now?”  
  
Luke raised his hands in surrender, “I can’t explain what it’s like on the other side. It’s beyond the comprehension of the living. But the subject never came up.”  
  
“So he passed into the Force but didn’t become. . .what are you?”  
  
“What do you want to call us? You’re the only one that knows we exist.”  
  
“Unhelpful.”  
  
She stretched muscles already aching from repetition, cooling down now that her training had come to an abrupt end  
  
“You don’t mean that.”  
  
“I do. I want to know why he’s not there.”  
  
Luke explained, “Just because a Jedi passes into the Force does not mean that who they are remains. Most of the time, being one with the Force means just that - that one returns to the base energy of the universe. The immortality of the Force was a secret chased by both the Jedi and the Sith since before anyone remembers.”  
  
Rey frowned, her brow furrowed, “So he’s just . . .gone? That’s not very comforting.”  
  
“No,” drawled Luke, “He's not gone. But I don’t know how I know. He’s not here, but who he was – who he is – is not lost.”  
  
Luke stood from his place on the rock. A porg flew through his non-corporeal form, “Ironically, Ben knew more about this than I did. I was busy chasing after artifacts and legends. He studied what I found. If anyone could tell you why I’m here and he isn’t, it would be him.”  
  
The Jedi master paused for a moment, watching the porg as it flew back to its nest in the rocks, “There’s one thing.”  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
“The last thing I brought him was the compass that sits in my hut.”  
  
“I wondered what that was.”  
  
“He told me it held a secret - the way to the First Jedi Temple. It was the last thing we talked about before,” he paused. They both knew what had happened that fateful night, “before the Temple burned. It showed me the way here.”  
  
“Like the Sith wayfinder.”  
  
“Well, yes. Exegol and Atch-To are opposites. The Sith wayfinder leads to the home world of the Sith. The Jedi Compass would find the first home of the Jedi.”  
  
Rey clipped Master Skywalker's saber back onto her belt and picked up a towel. She wiped the sweat and humidity from her neck before reaching into her bag to withdraw a shiny metal object. “This compass.”  
  
It glittered in the waning sunlight.  
  
“It’s interesting that you have that with you. Why?” asked the late Jedi Master.  
  
“It called to me.”  
  
“Hmm. Sounds about right. The Force isn’t done with you yet.”  
  
She looked down at the compass in her hand, then hefted it from her right hand to her left, “So, if we’re a dyad, and he’s dead, shouldn’t I feel like half my soul is gone?  
  
Luke said, “Perhaps. The fact that you’re asking the question means something. Why do you think that is?”  
  
“You’re the one that’s got the great cosmic connection to the force. Can’t you tell me?  
  
“I’ve never been half a dyad. Your situation is unique. I suspect you need to figure it out for yourself. What do you feel?”  
  
Rey kicked a stone down the rocky slope,“I feel like he’s not gone. That he's out there somewhere and he needs me.”  
  
“I see.”  
  
“And this compass will lead me to him.”  
  
“Then that is the path you must follow.”


	3. Shades of the Sith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Join us or be consumed, Scion of Skywalker."  
> He would never join them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't expect to be posting at this rate but I had an opening.  
> Again, please forgive any inconsistencies.  
> [Heads up – this will vary from canon. I was too angry after Ben died to remember what happened to the arena full of Sith ghosts. I’m assuming that with Palps gone, they’re free to do whatever they want on Exegol.]

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)   
  
“He’s back.”  
#  
The deep, resonant voice came from above his head.  
  
Cold metal clawed at his back as he lay prone inside a chamber that smelled of antiseptic and sweat and something that he just couldn’t place.  
  
“Who’s back?” said the female voice.  
  
The halo of bright lights glowed red behind his closed eyelids. He tried to pry them open, but the lids stuck together like glue.  
  
“Kylo Ren.”  
  
Not Kylo Ren, he thought. I’m Ben Solo.  
  
Instruments clanked on a metal surface, “We just reconstituted him 5 hours ago.”  
  
“You mean he lasted 5 hours this time. The Shades haven’t had this much fun in ages. When do you think they’ll finally consume him?” he said.  
  
There was the sound of wheels rolling past, and a shadow blocked the bright lights as someone leaned to look in at him.  
  
She said, “It might be a while. They like a toy that plays back.”  
  
“I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s like some kind of Force battery. They drain him. . .”  
  
A finger poked him in the gut, then pulled a tube from the hole in his navel.  
  
Pressure was released, but there was no pain. Ben grunted. A hand slapped a bandage over the wound.  
  
“. . . he ends up back here; he recharges; we send him back out.”  
  
Footsteps wander across the room.  
  
“It’s more interesting than copying the Snokes,” said the male.  
  
“Hmm. We should set up a pool. See when he’ll be back next,” she said gleefully.  
  
There is the sound of water running, “Sounds like fun. How long do you think he’ll last?”  
  
The woman said, “Until they’re done playing with him. Or until he gives in.”  
  
“That may take a while. Why don’t we ramp up a new Palpatine?”  
  
A chair slid and she said, “Tenebrous destroyed the template.”  
  
“Should have known it would be him. He's more power-hungry than the rest.”  
  
“It’s for the best. The last Palpatine clone was bad. Too many flaws in the genetic material.”  
  
An alarm blared.  
  
“N0-T0, he’s recharged enough.”  
  
“Send him out.”  
  
Droid arms reached in and dragged him from his confinement.  
~~  
  
Ben pulled the hood around his face, hoping to hide among the crowds of worker bees in the shipyards of Exegol.  
  
The Sith temple was gone – still smoking ruins a week later - but the industrial complex built around it remained. It had, over the decades since the remnants of the Imperial Fleet had gone into exile, built the fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers the Emperor had so thoughtlessly demolished along with the Resistance fleet.  
  
And so did the descendants of the Imperials and their conscripts that staffed the yards.  
  
Ben had known fear his whole life. Nothing had prepared him for this.  
  
He had ‘died’ innumerable times over the last week. Each time, he found himself momentarily in the medical center before being shoved back out into the gritty darkness of Exegol.  
  
Now he was hunted by the monsters of his childhood nightmares – Sith lords, bristling with dark side energy, every one of them committed to the dark as he had tried to be for his master.  
  
His bones had shattered, his body bruised and cut, but they always brought him back, ready to fight again.  
  
Ben had always been able to feel the emotions of others. The air practically seethed with anger as they searched for him everywhere.  
  
These were the Shades of the Sith – red-eyed, pulsing with fury and seeking the glory of capturing the last Skywalker.  
  
It was a game, and he was the pawn. His connection to Rey prevented him from fading away completely. He’d always return for their sick game.  
  
They brought him back and chased him again.  
  
One time he lay hidden in an alleyway, tending the wounds that he knew would heal the next time he ‘died.’ Exhausted, he sought the peace of her memory. He remembered her kiss, the feeling of her lips on his, her hand on his face, the sight of her smile as she pulled away, hopefully, before the world crashed to darkness around him.  
  
He shunted the thought from his brain. That way lay danger, for as his memories grew warm, the bond had opened. He saw her, her face lined with the same exhaustion he felt.  
  
She was the source of his power. When they ran him down, it drained her. He couldn’t let this continue.  
  
The open bond was like a beacon. A Sith Lord, couched in wings of ebony darkness, found her light and in turn, he had found Ben.  
  
Ben didn’t know how he’d broken the link, but suddenly she was gone and he returned to the medical bay to be sent out again.  
  
That was before he knew the rules. Now, when a weaker Sith crossed his path, he charged.  
  
He gathered power from his anger. Even without a saber, this battle was short.  
  
Ben took it down, assumed its cloak and weapons.  
  
If he held his anger in the front of his brain, it hid his true purpose. That and the cloak would now allow him to pass as one of them.  
  
So long as the bond didn’t connect.  
  
So long as he didn’t think of her.  
  
“Join us or be consumed, scion of Skywalker!” was their offer.  
  
He would not join them. He would never give in to the Darkness again.  
  
He was a Solo. He would fix this by himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exegol Arena Tech1 : Abort. You've got the wrong Force User.  
> EAT2: But the Emperor is too fragmented.  
> EAT1: Nevermind, take that one. I think we have a matching clone around here somewhere.


	4. Picking up the pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fall of the First Order was a messy business. Sorting it all out takes a special level of slicer.  
> Conder Kyl is the right man for the job.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Conder had hoped for the day Resistance would take down the First Order.  
  
But when it did happen, rather than an orderly transition, the change happened literally overnight, with only the most senior of New Republic leadership – barely recovered a year after the destruction of Hosnian Prime - aware of what was happening.  
  
The results they’d see so far were catastrophic. They had no idea how much they weren’t seeing.  
  
Conder had been called in to slice into the First Order network to find out what the New Republic needed to know. And what they need to know was who needed help first.  
  
So far, they’d discovered that an entire world was without communications because the First Order had locked down their beacon during the rebellion to free them from First Order control. No one knew whether the First Order had been defeated or if the battle raged on.  
  
The First Order had willfully ignored – or spread, for all he knew - a fast moving contagion on another world, and the medical supplies that could bring it under control were locked on the cargo bay of a First Order freighter.  
  
A riot had broken out in a First Order prison station in a mining colony. Prisoners were trapped in the Tibana mines and explosions rocked the control center.  
  
Children on many worlds separated from their parents – some of them now orphans – their guardians reaching the ends of their resources and records of just who they were, locked in the First Order database.  
  
And that was just the start.  
  
Unlocking things was Conder’s job. Only something of this scale could pull the slicer out of the well-earned retirement he’d been enjoying with his husband.  
  
The last week had been a haze of meetings and long spells at the comm station.  
  
He slept when he could, ate what was put in front of him, and worked until he could work no more.  
  
Conder knew he was saving lives, but it was truly overwhelming.  
  
Was it only last week that he noticed that his hair was more gray than it was blond?  
  
He didn’t think it was possible, but over the last day the process had accelerated.  
  
He almost didn’t recognize his own reflection. His eyes were red and puffy, and his normally well-coiffed mane was a disaster. What he needed was a shower, a good meal, a glass of wine and a few hours with Sinjir.  
  
But his husband, who could coax information from people like Conder could do with technology, was off on a mission, trying to restore order on some world where the First Order had lost its grip.  
  
The losses to the Republic and Resistance were high, but as one of the best slicers in the New Republic, he felt an obligation to help.  
  
He popped a stimulant in his mouth and downed it with caf that was well past its best hour. Once the lack of sleep and constant pressure wouldn’t have bothered him, but he was older now and knew his body would rebel later.  
  
The data they were uncovering from the remains of the First Order’s archive was vital and made it worth the discomfort.  
  
This was just the beginning. The data was triaged and handed off to teams to assign personnel when possible.  
  
Prisoners detained without justification. Medical shipments withheld for minor infractions. Troops stuck in a hurricane awaiting orders to evacuate.  
  
He couldn’t stop now.  
  
Generals Tico and Finn had arrived yesterday, to help where they could.  
  
Finn’s knowledge of First Order procedures filled in the blanks, connected the pieces and kept the data flowing. Finn’s personal interest was in finding the hiding places of the leadership of the First Order, to apprehend them for trial. In particular, he seemed obsessed with finding Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.  
  
General Tico organized everything – forcing them to sleep when she knew they’d have too much, mediating the testy moods of those who were overwhelmed, and making sure there was enough food and caf to keep everyone at maximum alertness. Conder knew she was a mechanic – a good one – but this disaster had proved that she was a born leader who could maximize productivity while keeping everyone sane.  
  
They were rarely in the room together, almost like they were avoiding one another. He wasn’t sure what was going on between them, but he had some idea. He and Sinjir had danced around their relationship many years ago. He recognized a similar restlessness between the two newly minted Generals, but there was no time now to be concerned with anything but the moment they lived in.  
  
If they didn’t figure it out, he’d be sure to set them straight when things settled down. For now, it was full speed ahead.  
  
He looked up from the board where he had just entered a stolen code suggested by Finn, “That actually worked. The sanitation code opened the path to the prison command center. We can now send in troops to restore order.”  
  
“That’s great, Conder. I’ll send word to Poe. He’s assigning troops as fast as they are ready.”  
  
Condor’s board beeped five times.  
  
“Five?” asked Rose, “Command level?”  
  
Rose and Finn crowded around the display.  
  
“At Finn’s suggestion, I’ve been decrypting the personal logs of Armitage Hux hoping to find some information on First Order safe houses.”  
  
He touched the screen to scroll through the files.  
  
“Hey, wait. What’s that one?” asked Finn, pointing at a file that was highlighted as he read over Conder’s shoulder.  
  
“It’s a recording of the discussions surrounding the Battle of Tuanul where both Supreme Leader Snoke and Supreme Leader Ren were present. The decryption is nearly complete.”  
  
“I was there. Kylo Ren ordered the deaths of all the villagers,” Finn said, anger sketched across his face, “The massacre was unjustified. It made no sense. Those people were just simple villagers, except for the harmless old man they were harboring. It’s what made me finally break free.”  
  
“Kylo Ren being ruthless? Why doesn’t that surprise me?” asked Rose.  
  
Finn shook his head, “What I don’t get is why he didn’t kill me when I didn’t fire on the villagers. He knew. I was sure I was done when he stopped and stared at me. I could feel his eyes burning through that mask. But he just walked away.”  
  
Conder pressed several buttons, and a holo displayed on the central projector.  
  
On the holo, Supreme Leader Snoke said, “If the data proves correct, we will finally have the map to Skywalker within our grasp.”  
  
The recorded image of General Hux steped forward, seeking audience with the gold-clad Snoke, “Supreme Leader, these insurgents would be excellent test subjects for the new bombs.”  
  
The Supreme Leader, meandered back to his throne, his gold robe swirling as he turned, “Good, General Hux, good. This promises to be a useful tool. If any of the radicals escape, you will release the gas.”  
  
Kylo Ren, standing at attention nearby, stepped into focus, “Supreme Leader, I will obtain the map. It would be redundant to test this poison again.”  
  
The black and chrome mask turned toward his colleague, and impugned, “Unless Hux lacks confidence in his staff.”  
  
“My people are the best. I’ll not have you question their skills,” interjected Hux.  
  
Kylo Ren continued, “Removing the Church of the Force should be sufficient.”  
  
Finn waved a hand, and Condor stopped the holo.  
  
“Tuanul was a Church of the Force enclave? I thought they were just villagers.”  
  
Conder said, “Apparently not,” and turned the holo back on.  
  
“I disagree,” said Hux, disagreeably, “These scum are determined to destroy the order we seek in the galaxy. It is just a matter of time before they connect with the Resistance.”  
  
The Supreme Leader sat, slowly, “You are my Enforcer, Kylo Ren. Their leader was close to Skywalker. I feel your determination. Your loyalty will not be compromised by these fanatics. Bring the map to me or destroy it. Do not fail.”  
  
“I will do as you command, Supreme Leader.”  
  
Supreme Leader Snoke dismissed his lackeys with an insouciant wave of his skeletal hand and the recording faded out.  
  
Finn and Rose looked at each other.  
  
“Could this the gas that made the southern continent of Marjima uninhabitable?” the slicer asked, “The massacre happened about a week before this recording.”  
  
Finn answered, “I remember that gas. It was horrible. If it had been released at Tuanul, everyone in Niima would have died.”  
  
“And probably Cratertown as well,” added Rose.  
  
She paused, thinking.  
  
“So,” said Rose, drawing out the thought, “Kylo Ren saved Jakku.”  
  
“It’s hard to believe but that evidence is hard to refute. He killed the villagers, but he saved everyone else,” said Conder, incredulously, “A devil’s bargain, to be sure.”  
  
“And Rey. If he hadn’t killed the villagers, that gas would have killed her as well. Imagine where we’d be if Rey and I hadn’t met.”  
  
“We’ve got to tell her.”


	5. Shades of Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben tries desperately just to survive Exogol. There is no time to dream of escaping this nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess we're doing this in quick bites. I'll probably slow down soon. I'm spending more time on this than I probably ought to but I want to get to the HEA.  
> The goal is to learn to forgive my imperfections in the writing process, to write in only a pass or two instead of a dozen. Thanks for the kudos and comments. They're helping!

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Ben Solo gasped with shock as a wall of water whipped out of the tank, pummeled him. It pushed him back along the black metal deck until he found himself on the opposite side of the room.  
#  
He knew that going inside any building would be a mistake. In the open, he could find multiple escape routes, but inside his options were limited.  
  
But he hadn’t eaten since the last time they’d pumped him full of some nutrient in the regeneration center, and his energy levels were flagging. He needed to find food desperately.  
  
It had not been a full hour since he had dispatched the last Shade, and now another hunted him, hoping to take advantage of his exhaustion.  
  
The bitter cold flowed through him like thousands of needles as his skin began to freeze to the stolen armor he wore. He whipped the cloak from his neck as the weight became a hindrance. The layer of ice on it cracked then shed upon the floor.  
  
His black hair hung in shiny icicles, a slick of ice coating his face and filling his eyes with a cloud of frozen tears. The temperature of the tank water, once heated to the optimal temperature for growing striped gallantfish, was dropping rapidly towards freezing.  
  
An alarm blared suddenly through the room as bright warning lights blinked red on the control panels that housed the tank.  
  
Ben had studied the force since childhood, followed his uncle on wild chases over the galaxy to find abandoned force devices, and spent his year as Supreme Leader hunting for the objects that would help him reach Exogol.  
  
Yet for all he knew about the force, he didn’t know you could use it to freeze things.  
  
The floor outside the tank was slick, and Ben’s boots echoed in the corners of the hydroponic chamber as he ran, slipping and sliding, for the door at the other side of the tank.  
  
Ice crystals formed in the water that now puddled on the floor, a thin layer that froze quickly, making the treads of his shoes almost worthless.  
  
He looked nothing like a Supreme Leader as he slipped, his feet trying comically to get purchase somewhere on the glassy deck until he fell, gracelessly, on his bottom.  
  
In the brightness of the tank, dark outlines of the large, ordinarily placid gallantfish thrashed as the temperature in their tank plummeted toward freezing.  
  
Footsteps followed him, unhurried and sure.  
  
There was a door nearby that might be his way out.  
  
Ben heard the hum of the door opening.  
  
Through the fog clouding his eyes, he saw the outline of a person standing in the light that pierced the darkness of the aquaculture chamber.  
  
Perhaps it was some unfortunate worker, checking on the temperature alarm.  
  
The door was his way out, only feet from him but still so far away. He swung his legs around under him, crawling desperately for the light.  
  
As he reached out with the Force to determine if this is friend or foe, a bloom of awareness brought him the aura of another Force-sensitive. The imprint was strong, riddled through with dark, angry power.  
  
Just what he needed. Two Shades.  
  
In his exhaustion, he hoped that they would fight against each other, not together.  
  
Each continued to advance on where he lay helpless on his knees.  
  
Desperately, he force-pushed the new presence toward the other.  
  
It slid over the ice like a skater.  
  
“Stop,” said a voice, commanding, female, “Stay still.”  
  
A yellow light stabbed the darkness, and he felt the aura suddenly change.  
  
It was warm and light and still as powerful as it had been when it had been dark.  
  
Grunts and screams erupted from where the two beings stood as the unmistakable sound of lightsaber blades crashing, weaving and striking rang through the chamber.  
  
He tried, unsuccessfully, to stand. He needed to help.  
  
“No!” commanded the woman again, “Out!”  
  
His body skidded out of his control into the corridor beyond.


	6. To seek something is to believe in its possibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey leaves Ahch-To to find where the Jedi Compass leads.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
The Falcon flew through the star peppered darkness. Ahch-to hadn’t brought Rey the peace she had hoped for, but it had given her a purpose.  
  
Her heart pounded with the fear that had chased her for the last week.  
  
How would the people of the galaxy react if they knew she was the granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine? What if they knew she owed a life debt to the Supreme Leader of the First Order? Would they fear, as she secretly did, that she could still turn to the Dark as was her birthright?  
  
They would question her motives, so her lineage had to remain her secret, one she could share with none but the dead.  
  
And then there was Ben. The past year she'd tried to put him out of her mind. When they faced Snoke together, she had seen Ben Solo arise from beneath the mask of Kylo Ren. When he killed his master to save her, she thought they could find out what they meant to each other. He'd offered her his hand, but she needed to know - who was offering? Kylo Ren? or Ben Solo?  
  
In Palpatine's lair, he came to her as Ben Solo, accepting that it was him not his alter ego that she desired. Together they fought the evil that had plagued him since childhood, putting an end to the Emperor's plans.  
  
In the end, Ben had given her his very life essence, bringing her back from death itself, but killing him as effectively as if she’d stabbed him. Again.  
  
This Prince of Alderaan, this son of a Princess and nephew of the greatest Jedi of the generation, accepted her when she was no more than a scavenger, and his feelings for her hadn’t changed when he discovered she was the grandchild of the man who had tried to destroy his family.  
  
Not only had he accepted her, but he had returned her kiss with a smile long-repressed, and silently begged her forgiveness as the light left his eyes.  
  
Tears filled her weary eyes as the guilt washed over her. If only she could talk to him one more time.  
  
She would beg his forgiveness. Tell him what he did was stupid. Tell him that she loved him, too.  
  
Uncounted hours passed meditating on the hard cold stone floor of the ancient Jedi temple, but he had not come to be with her.  
  
Her hope lived in the one dream that she was sure was no more than hopeful imagination, and the Jedi Compass that called to her on Ahch-To.  
  
She hoped in her heart that the Compass would lead her to the peace she sought.  
  
The Falcon's comm chimed. Reluctantly, she left her contemplation.  
  
The holo of Ransolm Casterfo, Chancellor pro-tem of the combined Resistance and New Republic Grand Council, hovered over the chessboard on the Falcon.  
  
"Chewie and I are heading for Kef Bir. A fisherman found a lightsaber. It looked like Kylo Ren's," she said.  
  
“Good. Maybe they'll find the rest of him someday," said Poe with a sneer.  
  
They didn't know, and she couldn't tell them. Few people knew that Ben and Kylo were the same person.  
  
Supreme Leader Kylo Ren was reviled, infamous but she had seen into the depths of his mind. She knew that evil had targeted him, guiding his path to the dark despite the best intentions of those who loved him. Lurking behind the scars was the man he wanted to be.  
  
No one knew what she'd lost.  
  
No one knew that Ben Solo had returned to the light.  
  
"Are you alright? You look tired,” the middle-aged man said.  
  
The circles under his eyes told her that she wasn’t the only one not sleeping.  
  
Casterfo had been a 'guest' of the First Order for years, his identity hidden behind a prisoner number, assigned to labor that was intended to kill him. Leia had sent a team to rescue him despite their troubled history. She'd forgiven Casterfo for the mistake that had cost so much. Rey owed it to Leia to give him a chance.  
  
Casterfo was dealing with the fallout from the end of the First Order. Retracting its claws from the galaxy had left wounds that bled.  
  
With their leadership destroyed, the remains of the First Order were rudderless, the chain of command broken into a thousand pieces. Some of the more ambitious had used this state of flux to further their personal agendas. It was going to take time to get things back to normal but lives hung in the balance now.  
  
No need to add to his burden. The corners of Rey’s mouth turned up in imitation of a smile, “I’m just a bit drained, Chancellor.”  
  
“It’s been a long week, and we’re all missing someone. We’ve lost so much.”  
  
“I know I’ve said this before, but we’re eternally grateful to you for what you’ve done for us all. We’ve scheduled a public memorial for Leia, Snap, Nien and everyone else we lost. Hanna City has offered their hospitality in her honor.”  
  
Hanna City was as close to home as Leia had since the loss of Alderaan.  
  
Chandrila was where she’d lived her happiest years, newlywed, mother of a son and senator representing her people, fighting for the rights of beings throughout the galaxy, until young Senator Ransolm Casterfo released the secret that the Leia was the daughter of Darth Vader, forcing her to abandon her career.  
  
And that was not the worst that came from Casterfo’s attempts to advance his ambitions - the scandalous story was carried on the public news before Leia could tell Ben, no doubt contributing to his downfall.  
  
Leia had forgiven her friend from across the aisle. She knew his youth and ambition had been used against him by players with dark intentions.  
  
To the galaxy’s benefit, Ransolm’s folly had led to Leia’s formation of the Resistance. She called on her skills with the Rebellion, building an organization outside the New Republic's chain of command, as a cushion against the First Order.  
  
“I know you’ve got a lot to do, but,” Poe looked at her, “we would appreciate it if you could represent the Jedi at the Ceremony. We'd like to recognize you for your bravery and Leia for her leadership and sacrifice.”  
  
Leia sacrificed her son. The New Republic believed that ‘Kylo Ren’ was still on the run, or buried in a watery grave on Kef Bir. Rey wouldn't besmirch either Leia's or Ben's names by confirming the truth.  
  
“When do you think you’ll get here? We need you to represent the Jedi and as Leia’s heir in the Force,” said Ransolm.  
  
His words split her resolve to remain silent. She tried to maintain calm as she replied.  
  
“Her son was her heir in the Force and in life.”  
  
Ransolm's eyes were somber, reflecting the guilt that lurked there. Leia had forgiven him, but despite years of torture and abuse, he had not forgiven himself.  
  
“Ben Solo. We are tracking a rumor that Snoke captured him after he fled the Jedi Temple. It’s on our list, but I'm afraid that our resources are committed to more important things right now.”  
  
Poe said, “Chances are he’s either dead or buried so far in the prison system that he hasn’t seen daylight in years. We've discovered records that Ben Solo was on the First Order's unmentionable names list.”  
  
“My name was buried, too, when I was a prisoner of the First Order. Hopefully, Conder or some other slicer will eventually turn up information that will tell us his fate.  
  
“Let's be honest. As a Jedi, even an apprentice, chances of him surviving ‘The Jedi Killer’ are slim. Both Rey and I know what the attentions of that monster were like.”  
  
Poe meant the torture he'd faced when he was captured by the First Order. When 'normal' techniques by First Order specialists had not worked on Poe, Kylo had used the power of the Force to pull the information from Poe's mind.  
  
Kylo had also interrogated Rey, but he had not allowed her to be tortured as Poe had. She had felt the pain as she resisted his attempts to find the map in her mind. Somehow, that act opened a path back into his own, shocking both of them as the connection between them asserted itself. Not only had it awakened her Force powers, but she learned things about Kylo Ren that no one else could know.  
  
“Bringing him back was Leia’s greatest wish,” said Rey, “I hope someday we can honor her wish, but you are right. Digging too deeply will only take resources away from people we know need help right now.”  
  
Poe's face lit up. “Hey, since he was a Jedi, isn’t there some Jedi trick you can do to find him?” he asked.  
  
“I haven't seen anything like that in the Jedi Texts, but if I can bring him back in Leia's honor, you know I will.”  
  
"Thanks," said Poe, "We owe Leia that much."  
  
“But don't take any chances, Rey. We need you more right now than Solo. Kylo Ren is still at large,” said Poe, “and you know better than anyone how dangerous he is.”  
  
Ransolm added, “We’ve brought Condor Kyl back from retirement to slice First Order files to see where he may have gone. Ren had a habit of leaving with no itinerary, showing up days or weeks later. He’s probably got a secret hidey-hole where he’s waiting until things cool off.”  
  
She changed the subject, “Who do you have representing the First Order for the surrender ceremony?”  
  
“We had to go pretty far down the chain of command,” said Poe, as he turned his head to look at Ransolm with a smile, then back at Rey, “The leadership was the first target of the uprising. We found an Admiral stationed at a remote refueling station in the Mid-Rim. Hux hated him and had been assigned there as punishment.”  
  
Rey gasped, interrupting the conversation. A feeling of contact like the beginning of a force connection washed over her like the waves of Kef Bir, before it is abruptly cut.  
  
“Are you okay?” asked Ransolm, noting her distress.  
  
“Sorry, I'm still recovering. I’ll be fine.”  
  
“Of course. We’ll see you on Chandrila in three days.”  
  
“I’ll do my best.”  
  
“We know you will.”


	7. Forewarned is forearmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forewarned is forearmed.  
> ~~~  
> For those who may be confused, this chapter is a warning of a timeline that might have come into being if Kylo Ren had succeeded Palpatine as Emperor.  
> There are greater enemies out there than the First Order or the Final Order.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Beyond the transparasteel hung the glittering net of the Emperor’s Jewels.  
  
Eight hundred sixty five Xyston-class Imperial Star Destroyers supported by shuttles and TIEs in proportional numbers.  
  
Aboard those lifeless hunks of metal were the heart of the Emperor’s fleet - Sith Troopers, pilots, maintenance workers, engineers, officers – all dedicated to the will of the Emperor - live or die.  
  
The Grand Admiral left her seat and approached him with deference as he stood at the window. Her Imperial dress uniform was impeccable and her hair was neatly pulled back into a tight bun below her regulation cap as she stood at attention.  
  
“All ships report ready. The Rapier and Vengeance will be the first SSDs to enter the void,” said the Grand Admiral to his left, “Scout ships Sloane and Vader report they have entered regular space and are approaching their targets. Plots were transmitted to the lead SSDs. We are ready to begin the journey.”  
  
“Very good, Grand Admiral Fentora. We must keep surprise on our side. The enemy must not know we are coming. Carry on.”  
  
“Yes, Imperator.”  
  
Imperator.  
  
He was not Supreme Leader here. He was Emperor now. Commanding not the First Order but the Final Order.  
  
A dark-haired tech at the primary comm screen reported, “Vader is approaching the enemy fleet.”  
  
“Let’s have a visual, Ensign Marza,” ordered the Grand Admiral from her station near the viewport. She moved to the holoprojector at the center of the command deck.  
  
Kylo joined her.  
  
The screen showed a series of space hazards – black holes, gravity wells, maelstroms in violent shades of red and purple – and the hyperspace paths between.  
  
A green line shows the corkscrew path of the Vader and the Sloane had followed to arrive at their current destination. As they exited the cloudy depths of the wild regions into the clear space, their paths split. The Sloan disappeared from the scope as the tracking computer followed the Vader.  
  
The map blinked out and was replaced with the view of a green gas giant planet circling a blue sun. Space platforms, like seeds on tangara fruit, appeared between the Vader and the planet. The planet itself was wounded with great dark clouds.  
  
“Magnify,” he ordered.  
  
The magnified view revealed that the fleet swirled around a large space station and a series of space docks. Half built hulls hung from umbilicals to the docks, bright flashing lights showed the welders at work.  
  
“Open the comm channel to the Vader,” he commanded.  
  
The comm station attendant performed his task smoothly. This is what he was raised to do, and he was honored to fulfill the Emperor’s command.  
  
“Ushar,” said the Emperor, “How many construction platforms are there?”  
  
Ushar Ren’s helmet appeared on the screen beside the map, and he answered, “More than a thousand. The planet appears to be rich in minerals.”  
  
“And what are those ships there?” he asked, pointing his gloved hand at a stream of shuttles rising from the planet.  
  
“Ore carriers. The smelters are on the far side of the planet. The remaining ships appear to be military herding slave gangs.”  
  
An officer anticipated his request and tweaked the viewfinder until the slaves came into view. Many different species, most of which he had never seen before, labored under the watchful eyes of the armored troopers.  
  
On the screen, a tall humanoid dressed in military uniform slapped a slave, who fell and was summarily executed.  
  
Not a single ship was recognizable. This was not the New Republic fleet.  
  
But he recognized the species that guard the slaves.  
  
Wide shouldered, with tapered heads and deep set eyes, this species exuded malice.  
  
His heart raced out of pure defensive instinct. The species that he had grown to despise.  
  
Snoke’s people.  
  
“Master, among the slaves are Force Sensitives. I can feel them. They are young but powerful.”  
  
Tension rose in his voice, “I apologize, Master, but the Force Sensitives have found me as well.”  
  
The view from the Vader changed. Fighter ships approached in numbers that far outmatched the ability of the ship to fight.  
  
“We will finish the reconnaissance. It has been my honor to serve you, Master.”  
  
The Vader swung around the planet, under heavy attack, until it reached the far side of the planet.  
  
There, hundreds of completed ship shells were being fitted.  
  
The Vader continued its sweep of the vast armada as it fought the approaching hoard. A blazing fireball illuminated the sky before the Vader was reduced to scrap.  
  
He felt the loss of his minion but continued, “Surprise is no longer ours. Connect me to the Sloane.”  
  
The view of the Sloane was different.  
  
“The Sloane is following the orbit of the planet, Imperator.”  
  
A speck appeared in the distance, followed by many more.  
  
“Imperator,” crackled the voice of Gormara, the Sith Shade who commanded of the Sloane, “We have reached the point where the planet will reach when the ships are complete.”  
  
The specks have become spheres. Each sphere consisted of hundreds of ships.  
  
Silence filled the bridge. This fleet was more massive even than the Final Order could destroy.  
  
A strong, female voice reverberated through his mind. A female voice?  
  
“They are many. They are the Grysk,” she said, “They are a race of conquerors, and no one has stopped them yet. All this time, the New Republic has been fighting the First Order, decimating the strength of the war machine, weakening the defenses for the arrival of the conquering armada.”  
  
He felt a cold sweat tingle the back of his neck. It was true.  
  
The voice in his head returned, “And now they know you’re here.”  
  
"Then we have no hope," he said.  
  
"We shall see. Forewarned is forearmed."  
  
Darkness filled his eyes.  
  
Then he woke.


	8. When destiny calls, the chosen have no choice.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give Rey a chance to mourn her losses.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Rey wanted to be somewhere else. She needed to be somewhere else. But there were people suffering and dying out there in the galaxy, and her need to look for something she knew wasn’t there would have to wait.  
#  
She couldn’t fault the accommodations. A princess would have felt right at home in the spacious quarters that she shared with no one.  
  
She’d never been on a ship like this. It was pristine, handed to the New Republic government as a gift from the shipbuilders of Corellia. They said that the First Order had paid for it but had never taken delivery.  
  
This was the Supreme Leader’s suite on a brand-new ship. It was his bed, but one he had never slept in.  
  
She paced the floor. Since Exegol, she felt a restless energy that wouldn’t let her wind down. That probably explained the bone weariness that stuck to her like sand to sweaty skin.  
  
She should be grateful. Although she’d lost Leia, her closest friends, Finn, Rose and Poe, had survived the battle.  
  
But her life was changed forever.  
  
She was the granddaughter of the most hated man in the galaxy, and the man she – did she love him? – the man she loved was gone.  
  
An ache lived at the base of her brain; a tingle ran constantly from her spine to her fingers.  
  
His face – smiling as she’d never seen him before - appeared to her, day and night. She needed to stop thinking about him.  
  
Ben was gone and there were people that needed her here.  
  
She paced the length of the austere white room, counting the contrasting black lines between the panels to calm herself.  
  
It didn’t work, but she kept at it. Her heart raced with frustration.  
  
Why did he put her life above his? It should be him that lived, not her.  
  
He would be at home here – pilot, Prince, leader, Jedi. He’d grown up in the halls of the Senate. Been to more worlds than she could name.  
  
All skills that would be useful to the transition government. All skills that could have saved lives.  
  
Rey was a scavenger in pretty Jedi clothes, not the true Jedi that the galaxy deserved. She would pretend to be what they needed her to be as long as it helped others.  
  
As long as it kept her mind off her loss.  
  
He would know what to do now. They’d paraded her, the Last Jedi, to diplomats, warlords and crime bosses to convince them that an alliance with the New Republic would be better than life without.  
  
She reached inside herself for her source of comfort, but all she found was a raw wound, an empty place where she realized he had always been.  
  
She stopped at the transparasteel window to look down the blue planet below, a planet whose name she couldn’t recall. A string of shuttles flew past her window, carrying medicine and urgently needed supplies to the inhabitants below.  
  
She reached into her bag for the one thing that had brought her comfort during these seemingly endless days – his shirt. The one thing she had brought back from Exegol.  
  
A blaze of light crossed the horizon, and a medium sized freighter passed between the Desolation and the planet.  
  
The freighter was familiar, from the Obsidian Freight Line, with its golden rhombus logo. Obsidian had been one of the regular salvage haulers when she lived on Jakku, but this ship wasn’t one of the battered hulls that landed at Niima spaceport. It seemed almost new. The Absolution?  
  
It could be worse. The ship that she now called home was the Desolation. Who names a ship Desolation?  
  
It reminded her too much of how she felt now. Desolated. This ship would need a new name.  
  
His face came to her mind again, a habit that she knew she was going to have to break before it broke her.  
  
Her time with Ben Solo had been so brief. No words had passed between them, but she knew how he felt as his love blazed through their bond.  
  
She choked back tears when she realized that Leia never knew that her son had come back to the light before giving his life for her.  
  
Rey could only hope that somewhere in the Force, mother and son were united as they could not be in life. It made her feel a little better, and she wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
He had given her more than she deserved. He had given her his life, and now he was gone. The Force had taken him, leaving nothing but the clothes he wore, wrinkled on the ground of the Sith Arena.  
  
She was determined not to cry again.  
  
Everyone had been understanding in their own way.  
  
It wasn’t fair. It really should be him here, not her. He would have untangled the skeins of red tape that the New Republic and Resistance struggled with, leaving lives hanging in the balance.  
  
He knew more about the Jedi Order than even Luke himself. No one would be more suited for teaching the scores of Force Sensitives that were already reaching out to her for guidance.  
  
Once she could have imagined a school for force sensitive people that they could have run together, guiding their students to the light.  
  
But that would never have happened.  
  
She knew they’d never let ‘Kylo Ren’ live.  
  
The galaxy desired revenge for what Snoke and the First Order had done.  
  
The anger of the galaxy would deprive them of the greatest living Jedi.  
  
Why did she keep thinking this way? What Luke said was confusing. She’d convinced herself that he meant that Ben could come back from where ever he was, but she’d seen his end for herself. She hoped for so long, but now she knew he was gone.  
  
He survived when Palpatine tossed him like a ragdoll into the pit. He was a Solo. He’d dragged himself out long enough to save her.  
  
He smiled at her when she kissed him. And then he was gone. He’d done it without hope of reward, without credit, without doubt.  
  
Ben knew Jedi lore better than anyone alive. He knew what he was offering but he did it anyway.  
  
Dark tendrils of anger prickled along the edges of her torn soul. She felt a tingle in her fingers and looked at them to see a sparkle of blue light.  
  
Sith lightning. If Ben were here, he could tell her how to fight the terror that had turned the blessing of the Force into a curse.  
  
Rey’s eyes were drawn to the window and beyond. The Falcon flew past her window, heading in the opposite direction of the freighter Absolution. Chewie and the Falcon were off on another mission of mercy, bringing desperately needed supplies to a planet on the on the other side of the galaxy.  
  
She imagined for a moment that the gentle noises of the ship dropped away, leaving a space for a Force Bond. She shut it down. It was a habit that she’d need to break. Why bother? There was no one on the other side of the bond. She let it fade away, and the sound of the ship returned.  
  
A chime pulled her from her reverie.  
  
She called, “Enter” to release the door lock.  
  
Rose entered, dressed in what is quickly becoming the standard officer’s uniform, but without the badges and bangles that show her new rank.  
  
Rey smiled then walked quickly back to the door to give Rose a hug.  
  
“It’s good to see you, Rose! Or should I say General Tico? How is General Finn?” Rey said officiously.  
  
Rose’s eyes looked anywhere but Rey’s face, “Fine. He’ll be up as soon as he signs off on the inventory from the Absolution.”  
“More emergency supplies?”  
  
“Blankets and tents this time,” Rose said. She seemed relieved to be able to change the subject, “Stuffed toys for the children. They’re all so grateful to you for going to see them yesterday.”  
  
“I was glad to help. I feel rather useless since everyone else is so busy.”  
  
“They’re just trying to figure out where you can help best. And they don’t want to wear you out. You seem a little ‘off’ right now.”  
Rey said, “I understand. It’s just a bit frustrating.”  
  
Rose looked at Rey closely, “Have you gotten any sleep? We can bring in a better bed. The First Order really didn’t expect anyone to sleep well. That one looks rather uncomfortable.”  
  
It wasn’t the bed that was keeping Rey up. Until last night, she’d felt a pull that drained her, but it felt like Ben. Now her energy levels weren’t being sapped, but the link, imaginary or not, was gone.  
  
“Some. Don’t worry about the bed. I don’t expect to be here long.”  
  
“I know you want to be out there doing your Jedi thing. I get it. But you’re now a legend, and the galaxy needs a legend right now. It needs a symbol that things aren’t always going to be like this, that things will get better.”  
  
Rey knew it. The die was cast. The Force chose her, but right now she wished it had chosen someone else.  
  
No wonder Luke disappeared to Ahch-To. She never thought she’d understand how he could leave it all behind.  
  
“Rose, I’d like something.”  
  
“What? There are gifts that have been sent from all over. The tailors of Gara Mantz have asked if they can make you a new Obi. There are delicacies from a hundred worlds that have been sent as tokens of esteem.”  
  
Rey interrupted, “I know they’re grateful. I want something simple. I can’t stand the name of this ship. Can we rename it? We’ve all had enough despair.”  
  
Rose brightened.  
  
“Sure. What are you thinking?” she said, pulling up her datapad.  
  
“Can we call it Mercy?”  
  
A smile crinkled the corners of Rose’s eyes.  
  
“You’re absolutely right. Mercy is a great name. It’s simple and to the point. I like it.”  
  
Rose keyed her datapad.  
  
“I’m suggest it to Ransolm Casterfo. He was available a few minutes ago. If he agrees, we can do a rededication ceremony when we go to Chandrila.”  
  
“Are we going to have time for another ceremony? There’s the Acknowledgement of the Lost, The Elevation of the Peers, The Reseating of the Senate, the Unification of the Government, the Affirmations of the Chancellor. . . “  
  
“I get it. Just one more small one, okay? Your idea is fantastic, and it really shows what the Jedi Order represents.”  
  
Rose continued typing on her datapad, “The Chancellor says he can fit that into his Affirmation speech.”  
General Tico continued to read the datapad.  
  
“Hang on a minute – he’s got some ideas.”  
  
Rose watched the scrolling characters as Rey wandered back over to the window.  
  
The chamber door flew open without warning.  
  
“Rey!” exclaimed Finn as he dashed in. He was dressed in the same uniform as Rose, only with his rank proudly displayed.  
  
“Look at you. You clean up nice!” Rey said appraisingly.  
  
Finn twirled to model his new uniform, “I know it’s back to uniforms, but we’ve got to set an example.”  
  
He hugged Rey and said seriously, “We need to talk. You can tell me anything. I want to help you.”  
  
“It’s all right, Finn. I’m fine.”  
  
“How can you be fine? I felt you die. Then you came back. The Force knew we needed you here to help heal the galaxy.”  
  
He reached out for her hands, looked at her for a moment, then pulled her close for another hug.  
  
“I’m not ready to talk about it yet,” said the young Jedi as she pulled out of his embrace.  
  
“It’s okay. I understand. Just know that when you’re ready, I’m here for you.”  
  
Rose cleared her throat, then said to Rey, “Chancellor Casterfo says he planned to give this ship to the Jedi Order.”  
  
“I’m the only Jedi.”  
  
“But hopefully not for long. He’s gathering a group of individuals that can guide you and your new Jedi Order.”  
  
She thought that might happen. Of course, they didn’t trust her to guide the Jedi by herself. She was only a scavenger with powers. Whoever these individuals were, they were probably older and wiser.  
  
“He agrees with the name change. It aligns perfectly with his plan going forward.”  
  
“But Rey is the Jedi Order. She doesn’t need people telling her what to do. Who are these people, and do they know anything about how the Force works?” asked Finn.  
  
“I’m just the messenger. It’ll be up to Rey to accept or reject the Chancellor’s suggestion.”  
  
“Finn,” said Rose, “While you’re here, I really need your input on the roster. You know the former stormtroopers better than I do. Are they ready to send to Y-gleu?”  
  
“Sure. Sure.”  
  
He walked over to the window.  
  
“Hmm,” the retired stormtrooper vacillated, then changed the subject, “Have you seen the sun set on the Teiran mountains? The colors are spectacular.”  
  
Rey picked up Ben’s lightsaber from the table where she’d be cleaning it after its immersion in the waters of Kef Bir. She turned it over and tested its weight.  
  
“You missed the staff meeting,” accused Rose.  
  
“Sorry – I had a thing,” Finn responded.  
  
Rey flicked on the switch that ignites the blade.  
  
“Hey, watch that thing. It sliced me open once,” said Finn.  
  
Rose frowned at Finn, “This is Rey, not Kylo Ren. She wouldn’t hurt you.”  
  
Finn smiled at Rose for the first time since he arrived in the room and said, “Hey, have you told her about Kylo Ren and Tuan’ul?”  
  
“No. You’re right. It’s something she should know about in case she finds him.”  
  
Rose opened a holo screen on the work surface and keyed in a code.  
  
Rey’s heart began to beat wildly again.  
  
There, on the screen was a recording of Snoke, Hux and Kylo Ren.  
  
Ben. Behind that mask was the man that she had thought of every day since she left Jakku.  
  
As the conversation unrolled, she realized that this holo recording was from the day before her adventure began. A day filled with heat and dust, when her only concern was to find enough salvage to trade for a day’s food.  
  
And when she finds that he saved her life for the first time before they even met, she can’t hold in her tears.  
  
He had saved her life three times now.  
  
Finn said, “Rey, Conder found some other recordings. He’s keeping them quiet for the moment, but he’s going to have to send them to the Council soon.”  
  
Rose looked aghast, “Not now, Finn. There’s time for that later.”  
  
“I know it’s not her fault, but it’s important that we know what happened between her and Kylo Ren before the Chancellor and the Council get ahold of the recordings.”  
  
“What did you find?” Rey asked.  
  
“There’s more to the story about the Supremacy, isn’t there?”  
  
Rey remained silent.  
  
Finn keyed a code into the room’s holoprojector.  
  
“These were found in General Hux’s persona files. He kept blackmail data on many people, including Kylo Ren.”  
  
The holo showed her as she stood, hands bound, in the Supremacy telling Kylo that she’d help him.  
  
Then it showed her fighting with Kylo Ren against the Praetorian Guard as the dismembered remains of Snoke smoked on the Throne Room floor.  
  
And finally, it showed her waking after the fight over the lightsaber, picking up the two halves before walking quickly to Kylo Ren, touching his hair before tiptoeing to the emergency evacuation pod.  
  
“Rey, I don’t understand. You had a chance to kill Kylo Ren?”  
  
“I. . .”  
  
“You did? I can’t believe this. Do you know how much suffering it would have saved if you had just done away with him then?”  
  
“I’m not a murderer! And if I had, can you imagine Hux as Supreme Leader? The past year has been the quietest since the First Order showed its face.”  
  
“I know that, but you know what they’ll say. Every death caused by Kylo Ren, the suffering of beings across the galaxy, could have been prevented if you’d just killed him then.”  
  
Tears streamed down Rey’s face. It was true. She was as guilty as Kylo Ren.  
  
“Look, you’ve made her cry!” exclaimed Rose.  
  
Finn looked stunned at his own outburst, “Rey, we can fix this. We can say that he influenced you with some Jedi mind trick. No one needs to know!”  
  
Rey grabbed her pack and fled the room.  
  
“Leave her alone, she just needs some space.”  
  
The corridors were sparsely populated. She saw no one as she ran, sobbing, though the ship.  
  
She found herself in the hanger, with Ben’s saber in one hand and the Legacy saber on her belt.  
  
A team of former stormtroopers was guiding an HL3 lifting droid as it carried a pallet of goods off the Obsidian Absolution.  
  
Peeking inside, she saw that the cargo bay was empty, and she slipped aboard.  
  
In the back of the bay she found a pile of discarded cloth wrappings.  
  
It was dark and quiet, and she threw herself on it, exhausted. Here, no one was asking her opinion or wanted anything from her.  
  
Finn hated her. Rose pitied her. Ransolm Casterfo would soon see she was a traitor.  
  
And Ben was still gone. The place she reached out to in her mind for comfort was empty. Instead of comfort it only brought numbness.  
  
Her anchor was gone.  
  
She wiped the tears from her eyes before closing them for just a minute.


	9. Adaptation is the key to survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Another chapter less than 24 hours after the last one.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Darkness surrounded him, not the harsh bright white light of the Sith lab. There was no icy slab, no numbness, no paralysis, no voices.  
  
This, he thought, this was real. Not a dream or a vision. Memories of his encounter tapped at the edges of his brain.  
  
He remembered sliding out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Barely holding consciousness long enough to feel himself being hoisted over a furry shoulder.  
  
He could almost hear his Uncle Chewie chirp his nickname.  
  
A Wookiee had carried him out. He had no doubt. The fur was lighter in color, but the scent and the texture were unmistakably Wookiee. He’d relaxed into it instantly as if it were the tooka doll he had carried through his toddler years.  
  
He hadn’t thought of that for years. Dared not.  
  
Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes, remembering.  
  
His skin itched to the bone as circulation returned after his freezing encounter with the Sith Shade.  
  
His eyes opened to a dark room that was warm and nearly silent, with only the gentle susurrus of a ventilation system urging him to close his eyes and go back to sleep.  
  
He was aboard a ship, not the Sith lab or some back alley in the crowded city that supported the Imperial dockyard.  
  
A feeling of safety swept over him but it had a foreign echo to it that didn’t feel like it originated in his own mind. After years of mental assault, he knew when he was being manipulated.  
  
He reached out with the Force.  
  
He sensed not one but dozens of auras, both force sensitive and not, but one central aura that rang with authority, rippled through with both darkness and light.  
  
Either the Shades had changed the rules, or this was something else.  
  
He raised his arm to look at his chrono, only to remember he dropped it days ago in one of the shipyards, hoping that it was how they were tracking him.  
  
That had been a waste - the Shades had found him again, so he believed that it was his connection to the Force – and maybe to Rey – that betrayed his position.  
  
But now he was among a throng of force sensitives.  
  
Whether they were friend or foe, he needed to leave. The danger he posed to all of them was strong.  
  
His movement triggered the lights.  
  
He sat up. His bruises were tender, and his muscles rebelled against moving, but he was alive.  
  
He was wearing flat gray Imperial regulation undergarments. His stolen clothing, soaked through and tattered, was gone.  
  
Stolen, he thought, ironically.  
  
His hand traced briefly over the plane of his abdomen, where Rey - he stifles the thought - don’t think of her! – healed him after she had run him through.  
  
There was no interruption of the skin, no scar, no wound. It was smooth, as if the fatal wound had never happened. Other cuts and abrasions remained but the one she inflicted was truly gone.  
  
This room was smaller than chamber on his flagship, but the metallic floors and walls and that same hum of air circulating from the vents tell him that he was aboard a ship. Years of space travel told him that the artificial gravity was off.  
  
So the ship wasn’t in space.  
  
Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he put his feet on the ground. The flat metal floor was cold, and the boots at the foot of the bed were a welcome find.  
  
They were just his size.  
  
On a table nearby, neatly folded, was an Imperial uniform - gray trousers, a gray shirt, and matching socks.  
  
They were clean and dry.  
  
And warm.  
  
He pulled them on. The pants fit well enough, but the shirt was a bit tight. Imperial garments are built for function, not form. The seams will hold.  
  
No matter whether he was a guest or prisoner, he had to leave before the Shades figured out where he was.  
  
The door, to his surprise, opened as he approached. No guard was posted beyond.  
  
The hallway confirmed his suspicion that the ship was of Imperial design.  
  
The sound of footsteps, running, forced him to duck into an alcove.  
  
A giggle resounded off the walls, and a small figure, human – a child – blazed past followed by the unmistakable tread of Wookiee feet.  
  
This was the Wookiee who carried him back here. Blond shoulders, with a brown and black-furred head, she stops as she looks down at him in his alcove. She is taller than Ben, and she chirps at him in Shryyywook, “Sprout Grows Fast in Sunlight.”  
  
Uncle Chewie’s nickname for him.  
  
Now he remembered.  
  
In the hallway, as he lay frozen, expecting the worst, she had growled fiercely at him, poked him with a furry hand, and asked him his name. He’d responded in Shryyywook without a second thought.  
  
Now she growled at him, “Do not leave. We must talk, Sprout.”  
  
He says nothing, but his curiosity called him.  
  
She ran in pursuit of the youngling, who peeked out from around the hallway bend.  
  
A Wookiee, here among the lost people of Exegol. He had grown up with the stories of Chewbacca and the liberation of Kashyyyk, of the many of the Wookiee people, lost to the Imperials. Lost to slave gangs on the Death Stars, and mines, and shipyards.  
  
She must be one of the missing.  
  
He was now torn. Was she here as a nursemaid, slave, or warrior?  
  
For now, he would explore this ship.  
  
It was large enough to have officer’s quarters separate from the crew quarters.  
  
This meant the officer’s galley should be nearby. No matter what the next hours brought him, he needed food. There should be a supply of nutritional beverages and rations stored there.  
  
At the next turn of the corridor, he found what he believed was the Galley and stood before the door. It opened.  
  
He put his head in cautiously and was assaulted by something he did not expect – the smell of fresh food cooking.  
  
He realized that silence rang in his ears like they were plugged with wax. Reflexively, he hit his head with his hand, hoping to clear his mind.  
  
“It’s not your ears,” said a voice from the counter of the galley, “Mira can explain when she’s free. She said you’d have an adjustment period.”  
  
Standing at the cooking station was a human man, his hair blue with strands of silver, short of stature and lean. He reached for a beaker from the rack on the counter and filled it with Caf.  
  
“Good. The clothes fit. We've got a supply of Imperial kit. You'll get something more appropriate soon.”  
  
The man smiled. He approached Ben without reserve, handing the steaming beaker.  
  
“Call me Donal,” he said, “Have some Caf. It won’t fix what ails you, but it’ll help. I’ve saved some breakfast for you.”  
  
Ben breathed in the smell of fried fish and seasoned tubers. Real food. Hux’s idea of food for troopers and officers alike was a gray sludge that was nutritionally effective but aesthetically and gustatorily bland. Even as Supreme Leader, he had eaten the same food as the troops.  
  
He wouldn't put it beyond Hux to poison the one person that stood between him and power. Eating with the troopers reduced his chances of getting deliberately poisoned.  
  
What he smelled was so inviting, and his mouth watered in response.  
  
“Thanks for this, by the way,” said Donal, waving a dark arm over the cooking surface, “It’s been a while since we’ve had real food. We’ve been living off sealed rations.”  
  
“I have nothing to do with this.”  
  
“Mira and Binza went out to get you. When they came back, they had you and enough fish to feed the whole troop for a week,” the man said, waving at the cold storage locker behind him, “We’re very grateful.”  
  
Donal held a trencher of warm fish and vegetables with a round of what smelled like freshly baked bread.  
  
“Troop?”  
  
“A very loose term. Here. Eat this, and I’ll explain.”  
  
Ben took the plate that Donal offered in his free hand and sat at the nearby table.  
  
“Mira says you’ve been cycling through the laboratory as a toy of the Shades.”  
  
Ben looked down at the plate to a bright red slab of fish and a significant pile of tiny root vegetables. The fish flaked off onto his fork, and he took a small bite. The salt and spices set off his taste buds, and before he had finished chewing, he imagined the next forkful.  
  
“Either you’re very powerful, or they just hate you.”  
  
“Could be both,” Ben answered before he could even swallow his next bite.  
  
“Hmm. And you’re humble, too. Anyone that gets patched up and sent back out is fighting their hierarchy. There’s a power vacuum in the Sith world, and they believe they need to beat you to become Emperor.”  
  
Ben looked up at Donal. He was trying to eat slowly to enjoy the taste, but his stomach begged to for more.  
  
“Sorry about your wounds. We don’t have a medic, just a supply of bacta patches. All we can do is feed you and allow you to heal on your own terms.”  
  
Ben put the fork down to force himself to talk, “Thank you for this, but I need to leave. No one is safe with me around.”  
  
“You need to breathe for a moment before we talk about what comes next. Eat. I’ll tell you what I know.”  
  
The fork was back in his hand before he thought about it.  
  
Donal continued, “The Shades want to know where you are. They sent you back, but they always found you. Now you’ve fallen off their scopes altogether.”  
  
The former Supreme Leader ate with gusto, using the spoon to ladle the tubers that were too small to stab with the fork effectively. He couldn’t help himself. He imagined his mother would have been horrified.  
  
His face fell, and he frowned. His mother is gone, and he didn’t get to say goodbye. He’d never have the chance again, and it was all his fault.  
  
He placed the thought back where it came from. He’d have to process that later.  
  
“Your head probably feels strange. I’m sorry, but you’ve been disconnected from your Dyad.”  
  
When what he said finally registered, he said, “Why?”  
  
“I didn’t do it. She did it so you can have enough time to figure out what you’re going to do next. So you have time to heal.”  
  
Maybe that will give Rey time to heal, too.  
  
But she wouldn't know what’s happening. That’s what’s missing, his connection to Rey. He was unconscious when it happened. What did she feel?  
  
A tuber rolled to the other side of the plate. He used the bread to hold it in place and scoop up the remaining sauce before looking up at his host, his spoon still in the air.  
  
He ate the last tuber, chewing as he replied.  
  
His plate empty, he placed his flatware down. He was still hungry, but he can’t ask for more. He’s already asked too much of them.  
  
Donal picked up his plate, stood and walked back to the stove, “You finished this so fast. You will want more.”  
  
His eyes betrayed his hunger, but he deferred, “You have already given so much. I can’t take more from you.”  
  
“The spoils of your fight. Fried gallantfish. Fresh frozen.”  
  
“It’s stolen fish.”  
  
“It’s stolen Imperial fish.”  
  
“I met Binza. Who is Mira?”  
  
“Our leader. No one else is strong enough to go up against the Shades.”  
  
Donal placed more food on the table in front of Ben.  
  
“Hmm,” he said, digging in again to the fresh plate. Whoever this Mira was, she must be strong with the Force. The Shades were no match for an ordinary person — even an ordinary Jedi.  
  
Donal sat across the table from Ben, “Eat as much as you want. We have more food than we will need before we leave.”  
  
“You are leaving?”  
  
“We are leaving. We have been waiting for you, hunted man.”  
  
“How can we leave?”  
  
“You are aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Contingency. Her mates flew into battle against your Resistance. We hobbled her so she couldn’t leave until we said so.”  
  
“This is a Star Destroyer?”  
  
“Yes. The first created in the Exegol shipyards.”  
  
The comm console chimed.  
  
“That’s probably Mira. You’ll want to see what you have to work with.”  
  
“What I have to work with?”  
  
“The Emperor’s dead. Long live the Emperor,” Donal said with a droll twist of his mouth.  
  
Ben sat in confusion for a moment.  
  
“I’m not the Emperor.”  
  
“Apparently, you are, because when you came aboard, the ship’s command console came online. This would explain why the Shades need to kill you.”  
  
“I command this ship?”  
  
“This ship? We hobbled a dozen ships, but only the Emperor can call them into duty. You command a fleet of Super Star Destroyers. They obey only you.”  
  
Donal stood, took Ben’s empty plate, and placed it on the dishwashing pad.  
  
“The only thing is, other than us, you don’t have a crew.”  
  
“I need to get back to Rey.”  
  
“And we need to leave Exegol. Then, Imperator, you’d best meet the gang.”


	10. Back to Jakku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finds herself somewhere she didn't expect - back on Jakku, where she's still a nobody, and that's enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapter is a mess - I feel the need to post even though it hasn't had time to mellow.  
> Next chapter should be following soon after. The chapter count will probably go up because I'm breaking a couple of long chapters into more manageable chunks. This is consistent with my goal to write smaller less 'perfect' chapters.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Rey blinked and tried to clear the fog that remained after her unexpected sleep. She had dreamed of fire and blaster bolts, Kylo Ren and the cold of the Jakku desert night. Tuanul. The conversation with Finn and Rose had lodged in her unconscious.  
#  
Her sleep had been so deep that she hadn’t felt the freighter lift-off, slot into lightspeed, then out again. Only the extension of the landing gear had woken her.  
  
Despite her sleep, she was still tired. It was an exhaustion that ran beyond ordinary tiredness – mental, physical and emotional.  
  
The galaxy was a scary place, even with the First Order on the run. Maybe it was time to go back to the simpler life of a scavenger.  
  
She uncurled from the wrappings where she’d lain, stretching out her limbs. She stood and picked up her satchel.  
  
She waited for years for her parents. Maz was right. Whoever she was waiting for was never coming back.  
  
And the one person that could, died in her arms.  
  
Tears warmed her eyes but she held them in. This was something she'd learned in the desert. Water should not be wasted on tears.  
  
The door to the cabin opened, and a young woman carrying a datapad began the docking procedures.  
  
A hot breeze blew across the room, ruffling the stray hairs on the side of Rey's face.  
  
The freighter door creaked open, admitting harsh sunlight reflected by desert sand.  
  
She recognized the dusty dry smell immediately.  
  
Jakku.  
  
She was back where she started.  
  
Maybe this was for the best. Maybe this was all there was. Maybe she’d just go back to what she knew and let the universe pass her by.  
  
If it was good enough for Luke Skywalker, maybe it was good enough for Rey Palpatine.  
  
The knowledge of her paternity still buzzed in her head night and day. It didn’t seem right, but both Ben and the Emperor had told her the same thing.  
  
“Hey, who are you?” the crewmember asked.  
  
This wouldn’t do.  
  
She focused the Force and willed her to believe.  
  
“It’s okay that I’m here.”  
  
“It is okay that you’re here. I’m Randa. Who are you?”  
  
“I’m Rey.”  
  
“Rey Who?”  
  
“Nobody.”  
  
“Well, Rey Nobody, welcome to Jakku. I hope you weren’t expecting to end up on a core world, because this is the farthest thing from it.”  
  
“I know Jakku.”  
  
“Good. Look, no one wants to stay on Jakku. Cap can take you back to the Desolation.”  
  
Rey adjusted the bag on her shoulder, “Don’t worry about it. I think Jakku might be just where I need to be.”  
  
“If that’s what you want. If you change your mind, come back. We’ll be leaving tomorrow,” she checked the datapad, “at 11 hundred hours. Obsidian is always on time.”  
  
“Could you send a message to the Desolation for me?”  
  
Ugh. She couldn’t wait until that ship’s name changed. Or maybe it didn’t matter to her anymore. Nah, changing the name would be good, regardless.  
  
Randa handed Rey her datapad. Rey typed out a quick note, signed it with her code, and queued it with the ship’s dispatches.  
  
Rey paused as she reached the door, “Jakku? There’s nothing but junk and sand. Why would you be coming here?”  
  
“It’s not our normal run but with things shook up we’re doing our part to help. Some of the old wrecks have rations from the Battle of Jakku. They’ve got a long shelf life, and we heard that some guy named Uncle Pluck or something has a warehouse full.”  
  
“Unkar Plutt?”  
  
“Yeah, him. He’s raised the prices three times what they used to be now that the government is buying.”  
  
Rey gave Randa a half smile, “That sounds like Unkar.”  
  
“Do you know him? Maybe you could put in a good word? Our budget is stretched thin. People are starving.”  
  
“I’m not on Unkar’s good side. It would be better for you if you don’t mention me.”  
  
The young Jedi knew Unkar would demand restitution for the Falcon. Best if she gave Niima a wide berth for a while.  
  
“I understand,” Randa nodded, “I’ve heard he’s not a pleasant man.”  
  
She was here in the desert without her staff. She patted the satchel to make sure Ben’s lightsaber was still there, and clipped the other to her belt.  
  
“That’s true.”  
  
Randa looked up from where she was clearing the wrappings Rey had slept on, “Hey, Rey Nobody. Good luck out there.”  
  
“Thanks!”  
  
Her skin was cold with the ship air temperature as she walked out into the desert sun. She didn’t miss the heat, but it had a certain familiarity.  
  
She hated a lot about Jakku, but there were a few good memories. The space port and fuel depot had been the one place where she’d been safe when she was small.  
  
Unkar had contracted her out to many clients during her childhood. Her favorite by far was the fuel depot. She’d run errands and helped out the droid that ran the shop.  
  
When she became an independent scavenger, she’d come here to repair Unkar’s stolen ships, like the Falcon, when the summer heat made travel out to the wrecks too dangerous.  
  
It was hard to believe it was little more than a year ago when she and Finn dashed madly across the spaceport to the Falcon. It seemed like years.  
  
It was almost like coming home.  
  
She looked wistfully at the stacks of fuel canisters. They were the maze where she lived out BeeZee’s Jedi stories as a child. Tales of Qui-gon Jinn and Mace Windu, and even Anakin Skywalker had filled her imagination even if she didn’t know the names at the time.  
  
“Look at you, young Rey. Returned to Jakku, have you?” rang a voice behind her.  
  
Rey turned to see the same droid marching up from the old shuttle that served as the depot headquarters.  
  
She looked him up and down, “BeeZee! Those motivators! You still haven’t found a set that match,” Rey observed with a smile.  
  
BZ9-L1 had the head of a pre-Imperial architect droid, torso of an L1, and legs of – well, she didn’t really know where the legs came from, but they certainly stood out.  
  
“It’s hard to find parts for droids as old as me out here on the edge of civilization,” he complained, “It is good to see you, Rey. Does your ship need fuel?”  
  
“I came in on the Obsidian freighter over there,” she pointed at the Absolution, “They’re trying to help with the rescue efforts.”  
  
“Ah. It is good of you to help during this difficult time. Some people turn their backs on the pain of others, not realizing how lucky they are. Obsidian Freight has always helped those in need. There are few better employers to be found.”  
  
He thought she was working for Obsidian.  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind. I missed you, BeeZee.”  
  
Can one hug a droid? Poe certainly did, so Rey did, too.  
  
A young boy with dark hair and oversized ears ran up from the maze of fuel containers. Rey caught her breath. He shouldn’t remind her of Ben, but he did. She’d forgotten about Ben for a moment and she felt guilty. How could she possibly forget the other half of her Dyad?  
  
“BeeZee, the Captain of the Absolution needs a package delivered to Tuanul. Can I go? She’ll pay me real credits!”  
  
Tuanul. The home of the Church of the Force. Rey felt a tug. Maybe that dream was more than a dream.  
  
“What’s your name, youngling?” asked Rey.  
  
“I’m Doff, miss. I work for BeeZee when Unkar lets me.”  
  
So BeeZee was still making busywork for Unkar’s orphans.  
  
“Doff. Can I take that package to Tuanul?”  
  
The boy frowned.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Rey continued, “You keep the credits. I’m just heading in that direction anyway. That is, if BeeZee lets me borrow the speeder.”  
  
“Certainly, Rey. When you return, we have much to discuss.”  
  
BeeZee pointed at the lightsaber on her belt.  
  
“Are you a Jedi?” asked the boy.  
  
“Yes, I am.”  
  
“Wow! A real Jedi! Did you know Luke Skywalker? Can I come with you?”  
  
A larger boy, this one with reddish-gold hair, wandered over to BeeZee, “BeeZee, the Absolution’s grey tank is purged. What do you need me to do next?”  
  
“First, I need you to bring the speeder bike here, Tre. Then, you and Doff can organize the parts bins. I’m afraid they’ve become quite disordered. Do it well and there may be extra portions in it for you both.”  
  
Doff smiled, “Look, Tre, she’s a Jedi! She’s got a lightsaber and everything.”  
  
“Shush, now, Doff. Go help Tre,” said BeeZee.  
  
“Okay, BeeZee!” said the younger boy joyfully as he scampered back to the shuttle that served as the fuel depot headquarters.  
  
“Still giving busy work to Unkar’s orphans?” Rey asked.  
  
“The Orphan Minders are not any kinder than they were when you were young. I help those I can. The wrecks are less profitable and more dangerous every year. Unkar won’t stay where he can’t profit, and a galaxy in flux has opportunities he will take advantage of. I would not be surprised if he abandons the entire crew.”  
  
“Life as one of Unkar’s orphans wasn’t easy, but at least we had a place to sleep and someone watching out for us.”  
  
“Unkar will not care. They will be alone.”  
  
Tre brought over the speeder bike.  
  
Rey got on the bike and sped off.


	11. He who faces himself, finds himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is recruited to save Exegol's treasures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing for speed now as if I was doing a first draft of a novel.  
> I'm probably going to write more from Ben's POV for a while. TROS showed us a lot of Rey's story. This should balance it out a little.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Transparasteel windows lined the hallway which looked to Ben like a standard Imperial training center.  
  
Donal guided him to a moderately sized room and opened the lock with his palm.  
  
On the wall to the left of the entry were a variety of weapons. He saw wooden practice swords, pikes with metal tops, a variety of staves, metal broadswords and, to his surprise, lightsaber hilts.  
  
He’d never seen so many lightsabers in one place in his whole life.  
  
This was not a normal Imperial training center, unless they were training Jedi.  
  
A tall dark-skinned woman, wearing Jedi robes in deep brown, stood surrounded by seven men, all tall and broad, dressed in beige tunics, wielding lightsabers of a variety of colors.  
  
“That is Mira. And those are the Guardians.”  
  
Beige hoods obscured the vision of the Guardians, while Mira’s white mask and graying hair contrasted with the blue-black of her skin. Her long lean fingers gripped a round, double-sided red lightsaber.  
  
At the Skywalker Jedi temple, they’d used helmets, not hoods, but the training was the same. Removing the distraction of sight allowed the students to connect with the Force.  
  
Jedi training. In Exegol. And even more surprising, taught by a Jedi old enough to have lived through the massacre at the Jedi Temple.  
  
The red blade twirled, and three of the seven were quickly defeated, returning to positions on the far wall.  
  
For someone as old as she appeared, her fighting skill was not diminished.  
  
Four Guardians remained. With deftness born of practice, they worked together to try to bring down the dark side blade.  
  
Ben’s musings ended as she raised her arm, drawing a saber from the wall to his hand. He caught it reflexively.  
  
Donal nodded.  
  
“She knows you’re here. Time for me to go supervise third meal. Good luck!” he said and left silently.  
  
The invitation was clear. Join the battle. He stretched his bruised muscles in preparation. The rest had done wonders. He reached over to a peg on the wall and took a hood.  
  
He welcomed the opportunity to spar. He’d had so few worthy opponents.  
  
Ben lit the saber and tested the balance with a few swings.  
  
Mira stood, saber held on guard, awaiting a rush from the remaining Guardians.  
  
His vision was obscured, but the Force showed him everything he needed to know.  
  
The Guardians made a hole for him, allowing him to approach their master.  
  
He pressed a quick attack at Mira, assessing her skill before unexpectedly parrying a blow intended for her. He turned to lunge at one of the Guardians.  
  
The battle was now four against two.  
  
Ben reached out with the Force. Mira’s aura sang of aged wine and the perfume of the strong flowering vines that Ben remembered from the garden of his childhood. Sparks of the hot berries Uncle Chewie brought from Kashyyyk burned his tongue.  
  
She was the Jedi that rescued him from the Sith Shade.  
  
Ben disarmed three of the students and Mira disabled the remaining one.  
  
“Guardians, stand down.”  
  
Ben removed his hood. Mira extended her her hand to Ben, who handed her the saber. She placed it on the wall, along with the Inquisitor blade.  
  
“You may resume your practice,” she said to the Guardians.  
  
She took Ben’s arm and said, “Walk with me.”  
  
The Guardians grouped up for new exercises as Ben and Mira exited to the hallway.  
  
“You prefer third form,” she said.  
  
“It seemed appropriate for a training exercise. You have an Inquisitor blade.”  
  
“I do. It is important that the Guardians learn to defend against a variety of weapons.”  
  
“But how did you obtain one? And Inquisitor would not give up their weapon willingly.”  
  
“That is a story for another time. Some might have seen this as an opportunity to assess the strength of their strongest opponent. Instead, you came to my defense.”  
  
“It was a practice. Your Guardians are good, but their training is not complete. I hope I was able to show them some new techniques.”  
  
“You are a natural teacher, then. Soresu is often underappreciated by the young. It was good of you to remind them that defense can be a good offense.”  
  
Windows opened on training bays common to large military craft. But instead of stormtroopers drilling, there were children. Older children were guiding younger in exercise integrated with play. At the corner of the room with the smallest children, Ben saw a young girl run toward Binza with a training sword. The Wookiee was ‘struck’, fell to the ground, and was immediately covered in younglings.  
  
The door to the gym behind them opened as someone exited, and Ben could hear the laughter of the children as they played, laced with Shryyywook banter. The corner of his mouth tugged up in an unintended smile. He had wrestled with Uncle Chewie the same way, once.  
  
Mira continued, “The Jedi trained us from infancy. They molded minds that were never allowed the expressions of emotion outside the confines of Jedi beliefs. Here, we believe in letting children be children.”  
  
Mira stopped at the window where Ben could see the children, but instead he looked at her.  
  
She was taller than an average human woman, with a long thin face extending below the intricately carved mask that she still had not removed. The delicate carvings were artistically interspersed with dark wood inlays.  
  
“You are Miralukan,” he said as the thought came to his head.  
  
“Did my name give me away?” she jested.  
  
“Mira. The Miralukan. A person of the Force.”  
  
“Yes. I was born on Alpherides. I was sent to the temple at Coruscant as a child. I hope someday to tell you the whole story. But here you see our treasure. These are the lost children of Exegol – the abandoned, the stolen, the orphans.”  
  
“Stolen?”  
  
She said, “These children were stolen from their parents by the Emperor. They were doomed to become Sith Troopers, but we have been stealing them back, giving them hope of a life beyond the scarlet armor. They will have choices that you and I never had. They will have hope.”  
  
She continued down the corridor.  
  
“If they were retaken, their lives would be forfeit. In the eyes of the Sith Eternal, they are too old to be properly trained.”  
  
Ben reflected, “They would be killed.”  
  
“And the Force Sensitive would be Shades or prey. Their lives are better here but the threat is strong. Exegol is not a happy place for children.”  
  
She approached the turbo-lift.  
  
“We need to get them away from Exegol. It is only a matter of time before the Shades find our happy little family and return the lost to the lives they were intended to lead.”  
  
“And you need me.”  
  
“Yes. There is much more to show you.”  
  
“How did you keep all this hidden?”  
  
“These ships are listed in the database as ‘incomplete.’ When the Emperor’s power called the rest to the surface, their engines remained cold.”  
  
She rested a palm against the lift button.  
  
“I have mechanics, engineers, and technicians. Enough for a skeleton crew for all the ships in our little fleet. Now that Palpatine is gone, we can leave. We must leave. We need more from you than just to start the ships. We need a pilot capable of taking us home.”  
  
The turbo-lift door opened, and they entered.  
  
Numbers counted up on the lift control panel.  
  
“It’s the most dangerous trip I’ve ever taken, with the wayfinder. That’s gone.”  
  
“We stole some of the Emperor’s Maps. It will get us part way.”  
  
“Part way is worse than not leaving. The dangers would crush even a Super Star Destroyer,” he said, considering the path they’d need to take.  
  
“The son of the pilot who did the Kessel run in 12 parsecs doesn’t need one. You’re the best pilot we have. We’ll trust in the Force for the rest.”  
  
The turbo-lift door opened.  
  
“Welcome to the bridge, Imperator. Behold, your fleet.”  
  
A half dozen Star Destroyers hung before them in the cavernous belly of Exegol.  
  
“The rest of the ships are nearby. There are a dozen in total.”  
  
She walked him to the pilot station.  
  
There stood a man with his back to Ben, wearing a similar uniform, only with several rank badges.  
  
“Imperator, this the Captain of the Contingency, Cresh.”  
  
The man turned around.  
  
He looked just like Ben, even to the scar travelling across his face like the one Ben carried until Rey healed him.  
  
Cresh frowned, less than pleased to see Ben there.  
  
His greeting is crisp but cold, “Welcome aboard, Emperor Solo.”


	12. The Church of the Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tuanul is not completely abandoned. Rey finds something here that will be valuable.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Kelvin Ravine stretched before her as the hot desert wind reminded her she was back on Jakku.  
  
Rey never expected to see this place again. After all the green of Takodana, the rain of Ahch-To, the hustle of Coruscant, and all the planets in between, the last place she ever expected to be again was Jakku.  
  
Once she realized that her family wasn’t coming back for her, only the Force could have dragged her back to the place where she’d scratched all those lonely marks on the wall of her AT-AT home.  
  
Years had been wasted here, but there was a certain comfort about being back on the one planet where no one expected her to save them – Jakku was for those who took care of themselves.  
  
She still hated the sand on her skin and the hot air scorching her lungs.  
  
Her decision to go to Tuanul had been a hasty one, inspired by her dream and the conversation with Finn and Rose, but she knew it was the right one when the Compass showed her the same path.  
  
The Force wanted her at Tuanul.  
  
What remained of the settlement now lay before her, its burnt houses layered with a year’s sand, its central cistern marked by carbon scoring.  
  
She soon found that the Compass wasn’t satisfied with her being at Tuanul.  
  
She dodged burnt out buildings and debris until it lead her to a small memorial marked by a stone, surrounded by the few flowers that bloomed on Jakku.  
  
A ray of sunlight gleamed off the compass, drawing her eye to a small golden-hued gem that glittered in the center of the stone.  
  
“What are you doing, Scavenger?” came a woman’s voice from behind her, “There’s nothing for you here.”  
  
Rey was so enraptured by the gem that she did not noticed the woman, armed with a blaster, come out of one of the other buildings.  
  
“I’m not here to scavenge anything. The Force led me here,” she said, slowly putting her hands up.  
  
“I’ve heard that story before.”  
  
The woman’s eyes were drawn to the Compass.  
  
“What do you have there?”  
  
“It’s a compass.”  
  
“Not any compass. That’s a Jedi Compass.”  
  
“Yes. Luke Skywalker gave it to me.”  
  
“I heard that Luke Skywalker was dead. That he stood up to Kylo Ren at Crait, then passed into the Force.”  
  
“He is gone. But he gave this to me. It lead me here.”  
  
The woman holstered the blaster.  
  
“You are a Jedi. I’m sorry about Master Luke.”  
  
Rey nodded, put her hands down and pointed at the memorial.  
  
“The crystal. The one set in the stone. What is it?” she asked.  
  
“You don’t know, Jedi?”  
  
“It calls me.”  
  
“It is a kyber crystal, the power behind a lightsaber. If you are truly a Jedi, and it calls you, it is yours. But you already carry a saber.”  
  
“This is not mine. It belonged to Master Luke.”  
  
“That saber was not constructed by Luke Skywalker.”  
  
“It was his. He gave it to me.”  
  
The woman hesitated, “No, maybe you don’t know. That was his father’s saber. It was built by Anakin.”  
  
“Anakin Skywalker? Darth Vader? This is Darth Vader’s saber?”  
  
“Yes. No. Vader lost the saber. It was passed to Luke, but it was never Luke’s saber.”  
  
Rey looked quizzically at the woman.  
  
“How do you know so much about the Jedi?”  
  
The woman straightened the veil that wrapped around her head, “Sorry, I have not introduced myself. I’m Eshmi. I was the Custodian for the Church of the Force.”  
  
“I’m Rey. What’s a Custodian?”  
  
“I maintained the Reliquary. It is my responsibility to keep safe all the Church’s artifacts. Most of them were found by by Lor San Tekka, Luke Skywalker and the other explorers. I carried them from the village on the day this,” she waved her arm to show the damage to the buildings, “happened.”  
  
“How many people survived this massacre?”  
  
“Just me. I was cornered by a stormtrooper. He pointed his blaster at me, but he didn’t fire. I’ll never know why. But I was able to leave with as many relics as I could carry. Including that crystal, there.”  
  
“I’m supposed to take the crystal. How?”  
  
“Jedi for generations found their crystals in mystic ceremonies unknown to us lay people. I can’t tell you what I don’t know, but I do know that the Compass is trying to tell you something.”  
  
The Compass had begun to hum, getting louder as she brought it closer to her satchel.  
  
“What is in your bag, Rey?”  
  
Rey opened the bag, bringing the compass closer until it touched something inside, before falling silent.  
  
She drew out Ben’s saber.  
  
“That saber. I’ve seen it before,” Eshmi said, aghast. “That saber murdered our Elder, Lor San Tekka.”  
  
“I’m sorry. This is the saber of . . .”  
  
“Kylo Ren.”  
  
“Yes, Kylo Ren. It will be of little consolation but some friends of mine at Chandrila just discovered information about that night.”  
  
“The night Kylo Ren orderd the deaths of everyone in this village.”  
  
“Yes,” agreed Rey quietly. It was so much harder to tell this story to someone had so narrowly escaped that fate.  
  
“Snoke wanted the map to Skywalker, and he was willing to kill everyone on this side of the planet to get it.”  
  
“How could he do that?”  
  
“Remember Marjima?  
  
“Oh,” She shook her head sadly.  
  
“Ren knew destroying the village would be enough of a punishment in Snoke’s mind. It allowed him to leave the planet quickly.”  
  
“Then he saved my life.”  
  
“Mine, too. Niima would have been in range. I was a scavenger.”  
  
“The Force is powerful and unknowable. Because he saved your life, you are here to hear the call of your kyber crystal. You must use his saber to free it from the stone.”  
  
Rey lit Kylo’s saber and swung it at the stone, cleaving the top from the bottom.  
  
The crystal rolled free.  
  
“Take the crystal, Jedi. It is time for me to leave Tuanul. There is one relic that I do not control that can help you understand your crystal. We must return to Niima Outpost.”


	13. Domination and Contingency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final Order is not completely destroyed. The ship the Emperor sent to annihilate Kijimi remained, waiting for further orders.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
Pergryn looked up from his screen wearily. He was completing his astrogation assignment on the auxiliary bridge of the Final Order Destroyer Domination.  
  
He knew he wouldn’t get points for speed, but that wasn’t his goal. Astrogators that produced the wrong answer could kill everyone on board. He would get the answers right.  
  
Finally, eyes reddened with the strain of staring at the screen since first meal, he accepted that these were his best answers. He pressed his thumb against the secure send button and breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
The screen accepted his calculations.  
  
Pergryn looked around. The bridge was empty except for a single technician who had her head buried in a console near the observation window.  
  
He was training as an astrogator, but what he really wanted was a command rank. Captain Pergryn Gyr of the Final Order Destroyer Domination. Of course, he would command other ships as he climbed the ladder, but he’d return to the Domination when he became Captain.  
  
His mind whirled. Captain of a Star Destroyer, a command of his own just like his mother and grandmother. Not some number pushing scientist like his father and his grandfather.  
  
He noticed that the command chair was empty.  
  
Many times when he was running thorough his training here on the empty bridge, he imagined that there was a emergency that incapacitated the crew on the main bridge. In his daydreams, the auxiliary bridge was brought online. It was just him and whoever the tech was in the corner, but his skills in astrogation would allow him to save the lives of all aboard the ship.  
  
No one would notice if he sat in the captain’s chair for just a minute.  
  
He checked to see that the tech was still busy under the console, then, gingerly, he sat.  
  
“This is Captain Pergryn Gyr of the Final Order Destroyer Domination. All hands prepare for departure,” he muttered under his breath, hoping that the tech would not hear him.  
  
There was a click from the wall to starboard, near the lift. Looking more closely, he noticed that one section no longer matched the smooth wall panels that lined the bridge. It bulged out, as if instead of a wall there was a hidden door.  
  
Curious, he rose from the chair and walked quietly over to where the seam was now visibly expanding.  
  
“Hey!” he called, twisting at his waist to call to the technician on the far side of the room, “Is it supposed to do this?”  
  
She continued tugging at the wiring, unable to hear what he said. Or ignoring him. He wasn’t sure which.  
  
Adrenaline surged through him. A catastrophic failure of the structural integrity of the ship meant that everyone could die. He’d need to report this.  
  
Before he could key a comm, the wall separated from its surroundings with a pop and slid to the left, revealing a dark space beyond.  
Pergryn’s heartrate dropped from its intense rattle when he realized that this was a mechanism and not a bulkhead rupture.  
  
There was a hum before a light – inside the wall – lit up. Inside was a droid wearing red robes, its head a dark dome.  
  
Pergryn stepped back as the droid stepped forward.  
  
“I serve the Contingency. You will identify yourself.”  
  
The voice was familiar. Every child of Exegol knew the Emperor’s voice.  
  
“I am Pergryn Gyr, Imperator,” he answered, his heart rate skyrocketing again.  
  
“I am the Emperor’s Sentinel.”  
  
Before he could react, the droid grabbed the boy by his hand, sticking him with a needle that was embedded in his hand.  
  
“You are a descendant of Rae Sloane.”  
  
“She was my grandmother.”  
  
“Pergryn Gyr, the fleet at Exegol is under attack.”  
  
Pergryn knew this. Communications between the Domination and Exegol had fallen silent. They had fulfilled their task and waited for their next orders.  
  
“Do we need to return to defend the Emperor?” asked the boy.  
  
“The fleet is no longer your concern. The Contingency must be fulfilled. The Domination must take the shipyards at Corellia or destroy them. This is the first step to regaining the Empire.”  
  
“We will inform the Captain,” said the technician, coming forward.  
  
The droid reversed into its cabinet and powered down.


	14. When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben prepares for the journey ahead.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
It had been years since Ben had called on the Light side of the force, seeking peace, not power.  
  
Despite that, he found it surprisingly easy to sink into a level of meditation deeper – far deeper - than he had reached since he had turned his path to the Dark.  
  
It had been just more than a week – eight days - since he had chased Rey down to the remains of the Death Star. More than a week since they had fought in the surging tides of Kef Bir.  
  
Eight days since his mother had passed into the force.  
  
Eight days since Rey had caught him in his unexpected grief, running him through with his own saber.  
  
Eight days since Rey healed him, opening him to the possibility of redemption himself, healing his soul as well as his body.  
  
Eight days since he had followed her to Exegol, fought by her side, brought her back to life, and surrendered his own in payment.  
  
Since then, meditation had not been an option. There was no safe place, no time to rest, no peace.  
  
Soon they would leave Exegol on a journey that would take all his strength, that would put all the lives on these ships in his jeopardy.  
  
Nothing had ever felt as important to him.  
  
He knew how to lead, but this was light years different.  
  
The First Order sought to bring order to the Galaxy. He had sneered at true believers like Hux but he did what Snoke then Palpatine told him.  
  
He realized with a start that the voice inside his head – his own internal voice – was not his own, but Palapatine’s.  
  
That voice had encouraged him to sacrifice so many lives; to punish those who didn’t meet his demands.  
  
Now that he was on the other side – fighting for people who trusted him like the Resistance had trusted his mother – he knew he had to bring them home. All of them.  
  
He needed to heal and rest, so he could be at his best.  
  
So he could go home. Home to Rey.  
  
He felt it then. The glimmer of a connection. The warm touch of the woman that completed his soul. His Dyad. Rey.  
  
He knew he should turn away. It was dangerous. The Shades would home in, seeking him out and endangering the entire mission.  
  
But he couldn’t tear himself away. His soul felt her sorrow at his loss. Her pain. Her despair.  
  
She still believed he was dead.  
  
He knew he had to break the link before it was too late.  
  
Tearing himself from the bond hurt more than a saber through the gut. He knew someday she would understand, but there was no time to explain.  
  
Ben sent a final burst of his love down the bond as he clamped it down. A tear rolled unbidden down his cheek.  
  
His consciousness rose from the depths of his meditation.  
  
A chime pulled his attention to the door of his chamber.  
  
He stretched as he rose, padding on stockinged feet, and palmed the door lock.  
  
His eyes are drawn down. A girl half his height stood just outside.  
  
“Imperator.”  
  
Ben looked closely. This girl was one of the children he’d seen playing with Binza earlier. She wore an outfit like the Jedi younglings in the Holocrons he’d retrieved with Uncle Luke during one of their missions.  
  
Like a miniature Jedi.  
  
Her eyes were hazel, and her brown hair was cut short around her ears.  
  
“What is your name, youngling?” he asked gently.  
  
A smile lit up her face.  
  
“I’m Eskina, but everyone calls me Kina. You look like Cresh.”  
  
She giggled.  
  
“Do you like Cresh?” he asked. He still grappled with the idea that there was someone on this ship that was his clone – someone physically so like him but whose life had taken a different course.  
  
“No, Cresh is sad. It makes him grumpy.”  
  
Ben refocused his eyes, imagining Kina a little older, with three buns in her hair.  
  
This child was Rey’s clone.  
  
“Why are you here, Kina?”  
  
“Donal sent me. He’s busy in the kitchen, and I told him I could show you how to get to the bridge.”  
  
“I see. Very kind of you.”  
  
She looks at him, her eyebrows knitted together.  
  
“Do you have a question, Kina?”  
  
Kina quite seriously asked, “Lessa said you have force powers like Mira, and that’s why you’re the Emperor. Do you?”  
  
Now he was sure of it. The turn of her face was the same as Rey’s.  
  
Was Kina what Rey would have been like if Uncle Luke had found her when she was young? If Rey had been one of the students at Luke’s temple?  
  
Ben reached out with the Force. Yes, Kina was force-sensitive. Not at his level, or Rey’s, but certainly at a level of Voe or Tai.  
  
How many other force-sensitive children and adults were hiding in from the First Order?  
  
“I do,” he said, “I’ll show you.”  
  
He lifted her up using the force.  
  
She giggled again, a sound that was like rain in the desert to Ben’s ears.  
  
Would his and Rey’s children laugh the same way, he wondered?  
  
No, he couldn’t think of the future yet.  
  
Some children might have been scared, but Kina continued to giggle.  
  
He put her down.  
  
“It’s like when Binza tosses me in the air, but I don’t come back down.”  
  
She looked at him, eyes begging, “Can you do it again, Imperator?”  
  
Ben remembered Uncle Chewie tossing him up in the air when he was about the same age. Sadness filled him. He knew Chewbacca couldn’t possibly forgive him for killing Han.  
  
His face fell.  
  
“Just one more time, then we have to go.”  
  
He lifted her again. Her laughter was uncontained, and it made Ben smile despite his sorrow.  
  
The door chimed a rapid three notes, was silent for a moment, then chimed again one long note.  
  
Kina blanched.  
  
Heavy footfalls passed through the corridor at a pace.  
  
Gently, Ben placed Kina back on her feet.  
  
Her smile has faded into concern.  
  
“That’s the Quarters alarm, Imperator. I’m supposed to go to my quarters.”  
  
Ben knelt and took her hand, comforting her.  
  
“You’re very brave, aren’t you?”  
  
Tears welled in her eyes.  
  
“I’m the Emperor, Kina. I’ll keep you safe,” he promised. “I’ll get you back to your quarters. Come with me.”  
  
Kina nodded, but tears began to fall down her cheeks.  
  
“Why are you still afraid, Kina?”  
  
“The alarm means the Shades are coming. If they find me, they’ll take me back to the creche. They’ll punish me for leaving and make me do bad things.”  
  
Kina knew the danger they faced. He knew the fear of a child who didn’t want to become a monster. He wouldn’t let this happen to her.  
  
“Mira and Cresh and I are going to make sure you never have to worry about the Shades again. Okay?”  
  
“Okay,” she agreed with a sniffle. She grabbed his hand and smiled up at him with trust in her eyes.  
  
He couldn’t let her down.  
  
“Let’s go,” he said, turning to the door as it unexpectedly whooshed open.  
  
Standing in the corridor was Sith Trooper, a red bucket with matching armor, blaster held at over his arm.  
  
Ben had a split second to consider his options.  
  
He had no weapon. Mira had taken back the lightsaber.  
  
He pushed Kina behind him and force-pushed the trooper up against the wall.  
  
“Imperator! Stop!” yelled the trooper.  
  
“Stop!” cried Kina, tugging at his hand, “It’s Jenth! Don’t hurt him!”  
  
Jenth found his feet again and pulled off the red bucket.  
  
“Cresh?” said Ben, before looking closer at the face that mirrored his own. Jenth had no scar and appeared younger than Cresh.  
  
Jenth bowed. The letter Jenth was embossed on the clavicle of his armor.  
  
“Imperator. We met in the drill hall with Mira. Cresh sent me to get you. Sensors indicate that a Sith Shade is headed this way.”  
  
“You’re my clone.”  
  
“Yes, I am. Can we discuss this on the way? We haven’t got a lot of time.”  
  
“Yes. Lead the way.”  
  
Jenth turned to the girl, “Kina, it’s Quarters drill. I know you’d rather be with Binza and the younglings, but it’s too dangerous for you in the corridors.”  
  
He handed her a blaster from the holster on his hip.  
  
“Give this back to me when the drill is over. Go to the officer’s galley and wait there.”  
  
“I will. Be brave, Jenth. The Imperator is strong with the Force. He’ll take care of us.”  
  
“You can trust the Emperor, Kina. He’s going to get us all home,” answered Jenth.  
  
“I know,” she said, nodded, then ran down the hall.  
  
Jenth strode down the corridor, “She should be safe there. Donal will watch her.”  
  
“You gave her a weapon.”  
  
Jenth put his bucket back on.  
  
“She’s young but she’s qualified on blasters. Childhood is fleeting on Exegol.”  
  
They quick marched down the hallway to the lift, “I’m sorry, Imperator, I didn’t realize Cresh hadn’t told you. All of your Guardians are clones. If there is danger, we will take your place. There’s Dorn, Esk, Forn and Grek from Cresh’s batch, and Herf, Isk, Krill and I are from the second.”  
  
The lift arrived, and they stepped inside.  
  
“You have letters, not names.”  
  
“It was efficient. Our names don’t change who we are.”  
  
Lights sped by the window as the lift rose floor by floor.  
  
“Cresh is the third. What about Aurek and Besh?”  
  
Jenth’s smile faded, “We don’t have time to discuss them now, Imperator, and perhaps it would be best if you hear it from Cresh or Mira.”  
  
The lift door opened. They walked quickly to the bridge airlock.  
  
Cresh stood at the command console.  
  
“Imperator on the bridge,” Cresh said, recognizing Ben’s arrival.  
  
Every head turned to see Ben, then immediately returned to duty.  
  
Ben joined Cresh, who continued, “A Sith Shade was spotted on the upper deck. Mira has gone with a detachment to deal with the situation.”  
  
Ben realized that the Shade was here because of his connection to Rey. He’d need to be more careful.  
  
“We had planned to wait a day to give you time to rest but that’s no longer an option.”  
  
Cresh stood with both palms flat against the console.  
  
“Only the Dominator is ready.”  
  
“So we launch when Mira returns?”  
  
“No. We’re not leaving the younglings behind.”  
  
“There are more younglings?”  
  
“Yes. The Creche. Where the young are trained and turned. Where we all lived until Mira rescued us. We’re going to take all the children with us.”


	15. Our actions define our legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey dreams of Ben and discovers a secret that Jakku has been hiding for many years.  
> Both Ben and Rey discover that children have been abandoned or orphaned by the war.  
> ~~~  
> “You know?” he breathed, a sigh of relief.  
>   
> Then he asked, “Do you know why I killed Lor San Tekka?”  
>   
> “No.”  
>   
> “Lor was a friend of Master Skywalker. He traveled with us when we searched for Jedi artifacts. He knew my name – my birth name - and he was about to confirm it in front of the division,” Ben confessed, “Snoke would have killed any troops who learned my old identity. He would have left them on the ground and unleashed the poison, killing them all.”

“This is Lor San Tekka’s hut,” Eshmi said, sweeping aside the beaded curtain that hung inside the locked door.  
  
Rey wandered slowly around the room as Eshmi lit the sconces that hung on the walls.  
  
“I store all the objects saved the night of the Massacre here.”  
  
The villager had insisted that it would be an honor if Rey sleep in this hut. Rey was the only Jedi she’d actually met, despite having devoted her life to the preservation of the Jedi culture. Rey felt sure she’d broken some rule about this sacred space just by being here.  
  
The young Jedi, unable to quell her curiosity, picked up objects from a table. A lightsaber emitter array, a breathing apparatus, a tool kit, and a Jedi Holocron that sat burnt, silent and dark. Realizing what she had done, she carefully placed them all back down, wary of invoking Eshmi’s silent displeasure.  
  
Instead, Eshmi seemed pleased, “I hope you can find some of these items useful.”  
  
A small shelf of books, mostly handwritten, sat near the bed, but not a speck of dust could be found in this uninhabited room. It was a shrine – a shrine to the Jedi and to the man who believed that they would one day return.  
  
Rey’s satchel clinked metallically as she set it on the bedside table, the sound strangely loud in the adobe structure.  
  
Eshmi looked sidelong at Rey’s bag, eager to see the items Rey possessed but unwilling to ask.  
  
Rey put her crystal on the table before she pulled the Compass and Kylo’s lightsaber from the bag. Then, she disconnected the legacy saber from her belt and put it on the table.  
  
“That crystal has been embedded into the stone since I came here, well before it became a memorial to those who have joined the Force. I am glad that it has found its belonging. You should hold it close to you.”  
  
Rey saw the longing in Eshmi’s eyes.  
  
“Would you like to look at the Compass?” the Jedi asked.  
  
“May I?” asked Eshmi, her voice hushed.  
  
“Of course,” answered Rey, handing her the object, “What do you know about it?”  
  
Eshmi’s voice strengthened with the conviction of her knowledge, “Elder Tekka mentioned it to me once.”  
  
She turned it over in her hand, pressing the clasp that opened the housing.  
  
“He was concerned that it was lost when the Skywalker Temple burned. He believed it was by the Force to guide a Jedi.”  
  
Rey sat on the bed, “Guide a Jedi to what?”  
  
“Whatever the Force required. It could be a person, place, thing, or an action that the Force required.”  
  
“It lead Luke to the first Jedi Temple. Is it like a Wayfinder?”  
  
Her inspection complete, Eshmi handed the Compass back to Rey, who put it on the side table next to the larger lightsaber hilt.  
  
“Only in the sense that it can guide you to a place. A Wayfinder is much simpler but much darker. They can only be invoked by using the dark side of the Force. Have you seen one?” the woman asked.  
  
That was information Rey didn’t have. She’d been searching for it not knowing that if she had been able to use it, she would have been on a path to the Dark Side. Ben’s destruction of the Wayfinder had been one less chance that she would turn.  
  
Rey looked around the room once before she said to her host, “Once. It belonged to the Emperor. It was destroyed in the remains of the Death Star.”  
  
“Just as well,” said Eshmi.  
  
Rey said, “I’d like to contact the Absolution. They’re leaving at 11 hundred. They’ve offered me a place on their return trip. I’d be willing to ask them if they could fit another. Would you come with me, to represent the Church of the Force at Leia’s memorial?”  
  
“I’m honored, but I’m just the custodian. I’m sorry, but we don’t have a comm. I’ve never had need for one,” she said, then smiled, “But I would appreciate a ride as far as Niima. There’s someone there I’d like you to introduce you to. If we leave at dawn, we can reach Niima with time to spare.”  
  
Was there a massacre survivor living in Niima?  
  
“I’d be happy to.”  
  
“I’ll leave you to your meditations, Jedi. Sleep well.”  
  
Eshmi left to spend her last night in her own hut.  
  
Rey stood up and took one final turn around the room, checking the artifacts before settling cross-legged on the bed. Leia had encouraged meditation during Rey’s training. It had been a long time since she’d felt comfortable taking time for herself.  
  
She settled herself comfortably and called on the Force.  
  
Focus was still an issue for Rey. Her thoughts wandered.  
  
A year ago, Kylo Ren had stood in the square and killed the man who slept in this room.  
  
A faint buzzing sounded from nearby, but she was too involved with her meditation to investigate.  
  
Rey didn’t know if she fell asleep, but she must have, because in a moment the sounds of the desert night fade away and she imagined that Ben was sitting near the hearth that Eshmi had kindled to stave off the cold night air.  
  
He was silent for a moment, but then his eyes – his deep brown eyes that reminded her so much of Han – opened and looked at her with awe.  
  
“Rey.”  
  
His voice was quiet as if he was trying to not be heard.  
  
He seemed so real, but she knew it couldn’t be. Her eyes prickled with tears as a wave of sadness passed over her. She’d never see him again. They could have had a lifetime together.  
  
“Ben. I miss you,” she sobbed.  
  
She was sure his eyes lit up at her confession. Would the real Ben have understood that she didn’t have time to heal him before he faded? Another moment, and she would have tried.  
  
“I miss you, too, sweetheart but you need to let me go.”  
  
“I don’t want to let you go. I can’t believe you’re gone. Do you know where I am, Ben? I’m in Tuanul, Ben. Can you see it?”  
Ben’s frown deepened.  
  
“I failed in Tuanul. I had to kill the villagers. I had to. Hux was going to destroy the planet with . . .”  
  
Rey wished she could reach out and sooth this dream Ben. All she had were words.  
  
“I know. The poison from Marjima.”  
  
Rey could feel the connection fade. There was danger in the night.  
  
She pushed away her fear. Nights in Jakku always made her lonely and scared.  
  
“You know?” he breathed, a sigh of relief.  
  
Then he asked, “Do you know why I killed Lor San Tekka?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Lor was a friend of Master Skywalker. He traveled with us when we searched for Jedi artifacts. He knew my name – my birth name - and he was about to confirm it in front of the division,” Ben confessed, “Snoke would have killed any troops who learned my old identity. He would have left them on the ground and unleashed the poison, killing them all.”  
  
Rey was stunned. Everything Ben did in Tuanul was justified.  
  
“FN-2187 is the only one free of guilt from that night. I know now that I was jealous of his strength – he held to his convictions where I did not.”  
  
Rey realized that Ben had always been there, below the surface of Kylo Ren. The Ben Solo she saw for those brief moments – the free-spirited son of Han and Leia – had been waiting for her below the dark façade.  
  
“Ben. I’m sorry. We wasted so much time. I miss you. I wish I could bring you back.”  
  
“Rey, I have to go. I need to tell you that I love you, that I miss you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get back to you.”  
  
“I love you, too, Ben. I wish you were here.”  
  
Her heart wrenched as connection faded and the sounds of the desert night returned.  
  
Rey wished it hadn’t been a dream.  
  
Such a strange dream, though. It was then that she realized he had been clothes she’d never seen him in before. The gray tunic and pants looked very much like an old-fashioned Imperial uniform.  
  
It was too late to ask him about it. After all it was just a dream.  
~ ~  
  
Morning came as the cold subsided and heat rose with the sun.  
  
Jakku days were filled with a dry heat that sucked the life from your body and light that would dazzle you blind.  
  
The darkness of Jakku night was filled with the terrors - beasts, quick-sand, cold, and hunger - that had plagued her childhood nightmares.  
  
But Rey loved dawn and dusk, those the times when she had allowed herself to hope.  
  
She loved dawn the most because every dawn meant a new chance to be found by those she lost.  
  
Today, her first dawn back on Jakku, was filled with the same magic.  
  
She woke with unexplained hope. Her heart was lighter than it had been since she found, then lost, Ben.  
  
She no longer dreaded facing the crowds that would flock to Leia’s memorial.  
  
Rey stood next to the speeder, turning the golden crystal over in her hand, admiring its glimmer as the sun rose.  
  
“Your smile becomes you,” said Eshmi, emerging from Lor San Tekka’s hut.  
  
Rey’s smile widened, “I dreamed last night that I talked to Ben Solo.”  
  
“Master Luke’s padawan? I thought he was lost years ago.”  
  
“He found me at Exegol. He fought the Knights of Ren to save me from the Emperor.”  
  
“Elder Tekka often spoke of Master Luke’s padawan. Ben Solo was an advanced scholar of Jedi lore, especially for one so young. His skill in the Jedi martial arts was the strongest of all the students at the Temple. Even as a youngling, he was tasked with protecting Elder Tekka on their missions.”  
  
Eshmi looked at Rey, “Could you convince him to return? The Jedi Order needs someone with his knowledge. I would very much like to speak with him if you can arrange it.”  
  
Rey held back a sob, “He’s gone. I died on Exegol. He used the Force to bring me back.”  
  
“That’s not possible. The Force can’t bring someone back to life.”  
  
“But he did. I’m here and he died in my place.”  
  
“I’ve never heard of Jedi being able to do anything like that. Even the dark side cannot return the dead.”  
  
She thinks for a moment.  
  
“Have you known Ben Solo long?”  
  
“Only for the last year.”  
  
Esmhi didn’t know Ben and Kylo were the same person. Rey would rather it stayed that way.  
  
“We met shortly after I left Jakku. While I was with Master Luke, he would appear to me, despite the fact that he was across the galaxy.”  
  
“A Force bond? With someone who is not your master? That’s quite unusual.”  
  
“The Emperor said that we were a dyad in the Force.”  
  
“Ah!” said Eshmi, “That would explain it.”  
  
Eshmi was quiet for a moment, “But you said he’s dead.”  
  
“Yes. All I have left is,” she almost says his saber, “his shirt.”  
  
“Interesting. Yet you seem . . . whole? Dyads are things of myths. The lore tells us that it is exceedingly rare. If one half of the pair is gone. . . “  
  
“What?” asked Rey.  
  
“We don’t know, because usually they die together. I’ve never heard of a dyad where half survived. Perhaps the Emperor was lying.”  
Eshmi shook her head, “But the Force Bond. It can’t be anything else. Are you sure he died?”  
  
“I saw him fade into the Force.”  
  
“I must consult with Master Huyang. His knowledge spans a thousand generation of Jedi.”  
  
“Master Huyang? The lightsaber specialist?”  
  
“You know of Master Huyang?”  
  
“He is mentioned in the Jedi Texts.”  
  
“The Jedi Texts? You have seen them?”  
  
“I have them locked away for safekeeping.”  
  
Eshmi’s seemed relieved, then her eyes glinted with curiosity.  
  
“Perhaps you will let me see them one day.”  
  
Eshmi handed Rey a sack and said solemnly, “The Force has certainly given you its blessing. All that remains of the Jedi Order belong to you now. You must find a new home for what the Elders have gathered. Let’s go to Niima before the sun gets too high.”  
  
~~  
  
That same sun had not yet risen over the tents of Niima when they arrived.  
  
Eshmi dismounted the speeder at the Fuel depot. “I promised to introduce you to someone. There is one more relic on Jakku.”  
  
“Okay,” Rey nodded, gathering the sack and her satchel from the speeder. “Meet me at the Absolution.”  
  
Rey walked past the fuel containers out to the dock where the Absolution was preparing to depart.  
  
She saw Randa driving a pallet of empty fuel containers down the ramp and out of the ship.  
  
She smiled and waved as she saw Rey.  
  
“Hey, Rey Nobody, are you done sightseeing Jakku?”  
  
“I’ve had enough for now, but maybe it’s not so bad here. Did you get the rations?”  
  
Randa shook her head sadly, “Selling to us wasn’t profitable enough for Unkar. He took all the rations and has left.”  
  
“Left? Left Jakku? What about his orphan crew? Tre and Doff?”  
  
“He left them all.”  
  
She turned around, “I’m going to get them. We can take them to Chandrila. We’ll find them homes.”  
  
“Don’t leave yet, Jedi. Come have a look,” said Randa, opening the door to the bay.  
  
The pile of wrappings has grown, with mysteriously child sized lumps.  
  
A sneeze rattled off the containers in the bay, followed by much shushing.  
  
Rey and Randa looked at each other knowingly.  
  
“Hello?” asked Rey, gathering the Force and pushing feelings of trust toward the children.  
  
A small dirty face appeared.  
  
“I’m sorry, Miss. I wanted to see what other planets were like. I’ll leave.”  
  
“You want to leave Jakku? Why would you want to do that?” Randa asked with a smile on her face.  
  
“It’s not as nice as it seems, Miss. We work hard, and I’m hungry all the time. Now Unkar left and we can’t get any more food. I was hoping I could go somewhere there was more food.”  
  
“Are you hungry, Doff?” asked Rey, who knew the answer.  
  
“Not much, Miss,” he said, “BeeZee gave us a full portion each when he heard that Unkar had left. Said he couldn’t eat them so we might as well have them.”  
  
Randa walked over, bent down and took Doff’s hands.  
  
“I have more food here, and there’s enough to go around for everyone. Even the ones still hiding in the shipping wrappings.”  
  
The wrappings rustled, and slowly heads and hands began to appear.  
  
In all, there were a dozen children dressed in dirty desert gear.  
  
Including Doff and Tre.  
  
Tre seemed worried that it was a trick, “Don’t send us back.”  
  
That set off the rest of them. “Take us wherever you’re going.”  
  
“We haven’t got much, but we can help unload.”  
  
“I’ll take care of them, miss. I’m 15. I can earn a living, and every last one of these brats can earn their keep,” he promised.  
  
“Hush, children. Do you see who is here? It is the Jedi Rey.”  
  
The children quieted immediately, except for one young girl who is still afraid, “Don’t make us go, Miss Rey.”  
  
“Don’t worry, youngling. We’re going to do our best to find you a home. Stay here.”  
  
Randa and Rey walked to the door.  
  
Randa spoke first, “If we take them away, can you help us find them a place to stay?”  
  
“I’ll talk to Ransolm Casterfo. If anyone can help, he can. But do you have room for 2 more? Me and Eshmi.”  
  
“Our environmental system isn’t working well right now. An extra dozen will put us above capacity for oxygen regeneration.”  
  
“I think I can help with that.”  
  
“But what about fuel, Randa? Do you have enough to get back to Chandrila?”  
  
BeeZee came up the ramp as if called, “Rey. Do not worry about fuel. With Unkar gone, the salvage ships will no longer come to Niima. I have filled the tanks on the Absolution. It is the least I can do, young Jedi.”  
  
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, BeeZee.”  
  
“Ah, that lightsaber. May I see it?” he points to lightsaber she now carries on her belt.  
  
“It was Master Luke’s.”  
  
“And his father’s before him.”  
  
“How do you know that?”  
  
“Child, we have much to discuss.”  
  
Eshmi comes up the ramp next, looks straight at BeeZee and says, “I’ve been looking for you, Master. I wanted to introduce you to the Jedi.”  
  
“Master?” asked Rey, looking back and forth between Eshmi and BeeZee.  
  
“I will explain. You know me as BZ9-L1. I have lived here on Jakku since shortly after the fall of the temple at Coruscant. But the Jedi once knew me as Huyang.”  
  
“Like Master Huyang from the Jedi Texts?”  
  
“They put me in the Jedi Texts?”  
  
“You’re Master Huyang? You’re a droid.”  
  
“I have served a thousand generations of Jedi. I hope to be able to serve again. Perhaps on the Core Worlds I might be able to find better motivators,” said Master Huyang, his Core World accent clipped and precise.  
  
“You will come with us?”  
Rey asked.  
Eshmi said, “I will stay and run the Fuel Depot. It would be my honor to serve the Jedi in this small way.”  
  
“Will you show me how to make my own saber?” Rey asked, pulling the crystal from the pouch Eshmi had given her before they left Tuanul.  
  
“That is a beautiful crystal, Jedi Rey. Oh, how I have missed the art of saber construction.”  
  
“Then it is time for us to leave Jakku behind,” said Master Huyang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much longer and contains several location and time changes. It's the only way I'm going to fit the entire story in.  
>   
> It is a 'first-draft' style with limited descriptions and preliminary dialog.  
>   
> The end is very rough and I'm not happy with it but it gets the plot points across. I'll probably go back and neaten it up later.  
> Thank you all for sticking with the story as it unfolds.


	16. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The odds are against the crew of the Contingency.  
> The Shades have spotted their hiding place, supplies are at an all-time low, the map through Wild Space is incomplete, they're placing their fate in the hands of the most hated man in the galaxy, and the crew is untested, but they have no choice but to launch.  
> Cresh hates Kylo as much as Ben hates Kylo.  
> 

The young clone Jenth placed his red gloved palm on the door release panel. He stood back and waved Ben forward, following behind him as if he were Ben’s own guard.  
  
Mira had called these young men the Guardians. But who, Ben wondered, were they guarding?  
  
His hand twitched, missing the reassuring weight of the saber that had saved his life so many times.  
  
And nearly took it, once.  
  
Years ago, Snoke had demanded he destroy the crystal that had chosen him on that long cold mission so many years ago.  
  
That crystal had brought him the first vision of a girl that would mean more to him than life itself. A vision of hope and love that he didn’t deserve.  
  
A vision that had showed him he couldn’t be the great Jedi his uncle wanted him to be, because there was no way he could ever choose the monastic life of a Jedi instead of her.  
  
He hid the vision in a box in his mind where no one could ever find it.  
  
Rankled by his failure, Ben had gone beyond Snoke’s order, betraying his own kyber by bending it to the dark against its will.  
  
Now it sat at the bottom of the ocean on Kef Bir. Ben had returned to the light, but his crystal would forever be split.  
  
Cresh stood diagonally across the room at the far end of the command table. Outwardly, he was the definition of order in a sea of chaos, his grey officer’s uniform tidy, his dark hair neatly coifed, but through the Force, Ben could feel simmering anger and tense anticipation. Much like his own.  
  
“Begali, get me an estimate on repair time. If Tigdon can’t get that running in half an hour, evacuate to the Contingency. The crew is more important than the ship.”  
  
The command console was crowded with readouts. There was one for each ISD, and every ship, save for the Contingency, was a mass of red bars and scrolling text.  
  
“I beg your forgiveness for dragging you from your contemplations, Imperator,” said Cresh, spotting Jenth and his charge as they strode in the door, “There’s been a perimeter breach at Level Aurik.”  
  
A map of the dry dock appeared in front of him. Small white lights moved up through the levels. Cresh pointed at them, as they rose, “Mira has taken a team of Guardians to assess the threat. We’re planning for emergency launch.”  
  
“We’ve planned this day for years,” explained Cresh. “We’ve drilled and practiced, but we never anticipated the rest of the fleet would be deployed before we could leave. Never anticipated that supply lines would dry up so abruptly. Only Contingency is ready.”  
  
Ben spoke finally, “Preparing a brand new ISD for an interstellar voyage is not a simple task, even for an experienced crew.”  
  
Cresh continued, “You probably wonder how we could have failed so miserably.”  
  
“You have one functional ship,” Ben said  
  
“We have only one functional ship,” said Cresh, anger rising in his voice.  
  
Ben waved him down, “This is not a failure. You have one Xyston-class Imperial Star Destroyer. The Resistance had one YT-1300 Corellian Freighter. They survived and saved the galaxy from the First Order.”  
  
Guardian Jenth moved back toward the door.  
  
“Stay, Jenth,” said Cresh, raising his hand in a stopping motion.  
  
The Guardian stopped as ordered.  
  
“And I don’t agree,” said Emperor Solo, hearing his mother’s tone in his own voice, “This is not a failure. This is just the beginning.”  
  
He would do what he needed to get them home. All of them.  
  
Then he could find Rey. His home.  
  
“So, recalibrate,” he offered, “Instead of trying to get them all ready, just focus on the one we have. We can return for the other ships.”  
  
Cresh considers, “It’s going to be a tight fit.”  
  
“So, let me help. What needs to be done?”  
  
A signal stopped Cresh’s response. He held a hand up against his ear, where the stream of communication had continued unabated during their conversation.  
  
“The threads on the casings are stripped? No wonder they were in the refuse bin. I’m calling it. Evac Pommel to the Contingency. We haven’t got time to find a spare.”  
  
His eyes focused again on the younger clone, “Jenth, the crew of the Pommel is coming aboard. Find them quarters.”  
  
Jenth reached out, pulling the console for the Pommel to him, selected the personnel assignments, and began assigning out quarters for the new arrivals.  
  
“Do you want Takaj in Engineering?” asked Jenth after reviewing the roster.  
  
“Yes, good idea. Send the rest of the team to the bunk rooms. We’ll work out a new rotation.”  
  
Jenth’s assessment turned grim, “Assuming the worst, crew quarters are going to be tight. We’ve got very little space for the passengers.”  
  
“Crew can share bunks off-shift,” Ben suggested.  
  
Cresh agreed, “Yes. And we’ll put the passengers in the holds, the loading bays, and the training rooms. They’ve dealt with worse.”  
  
“True,” said Jenth, “I forgot what life was like in the Creche. But the supplies. . .”  
  
“We’ll have to hope for the best. I’d rather ration food and squeeze in another child.”  
  
“Once you’ve sorted the Pommel, pick a skeleton crew to stay behind. We’ll come back once we’ve got the children safe.”  
  
Jenth’s fingers flew over the screen.  
  
“What do you need me to do?” asked Solo.  
  
“Until we reach the Outer Rim, you are going to sit tight.”  
  
The Captain scrolled through the latest list, shook his head, and then looked back.  
  
“Mira seems to think you can get us beyond this catastrophe of a map that we’ve got. You’ve braved the maelstrom three times so far. Your experience and your reflexes are our most valuable resource.”  
  
The Captain looked sternly at his predecessor.  
  
“Let’s get this straight now. To the rest of the ship, you’re the Emperor, but to me, you’re just Navigator Solo. Flying an ISD is not the same as your tiny little TIE Whisper. The gravity wells that winked at you before will drag us in. The new route is programmed on that station,” Cresh pointed to the wall station furthest from him, “I need you to learn it. Our lives may depend on it.”  
  
“Don’t think I like this for one minute. I’d rather we had the whole map, and we could leave you to the Sith.”  
  
Cresh’s cooperative attitude had melted like snow at midday on Jakku. Solo looked stunned, “What have I done to deserve your contempt? We never met before yesterday.”  
  
“My business, not yours. How I feel doesn’t matter. We need you, and because of that, I will guard you with my life.”  
  
Cresh grabbed the screen for the Hilt of Destiny, minimized the data on the ISD, and brought up a list.  
  
“It’s time you got some idea of what’s at stake. The destruction of the fleet has rolled like a wave through the entire planet. Priority on all resources – food, water, medical supplies – was given to the ships that are now floating bits of metal and flesh that are raining down on the planet. One of the hulls crashed into the energy plant. Another took out the food plant. The people of Exegol will soon starve and freeze. The grip of the Sith Eternal is firm, and even if it wasn’t, the indoctrinated would rather starve than take the help of a Jedi.”  
  
Jenth piped up, “The adults can make up their own minds. But the children – we’re stealing back the children. They don’t deserve this fate. So, we’re taking them away.”  
  
“But we have to get hundreds of children who are loyal only to the Emperor out of the Creche and into the ship without alerting the Shades.”  
  
The door slid open.  
  
Mira stood there, dressed in black, holding the mask of an Inquisitor on her arm, the round saber she had wielded so skillfully holstered on her back.  
  
“They’re going to get a personal invitation from the Emperor to join him on a mission.”  
  
Neither Cresh nor Jenth seemed concerned to have an Imperial Inquisitor in their midst.  
  
She threw a saber in Ben’s direction, “You’re coming with me, Imperator.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The clones to me would be an opportunity for Adam to explore other versions of Ben. I'm thinking that Timothee Chalamet would be my choice for Jenth and his batch - similar to Adam but not identical.


	17. Morality separates heroes from villains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a matter of time before the Contingency and her crew are found by the Sith Eternal. One Sith Shade was spotted near the docks, drawn by Ben's Force Bond with Rey.  
>   
> They have to save the children from the Imperial Creche, where children stolen from their parents are turned into soldiers.  
>   
> Although Ben is vital to the flight away, Mira has decided that he needs to be part of the rescue team.  
>   
> ~~

The whine of a shuttle descending to the landing platform at the center of the city awakened the curiosity of the inhabitants of the busiest thoroughfare of the only metropolis on Exegol.  
  
A patrol of Sith troopers descended from the shuttle. They marched in step through the murky streets of the main metropolis of Exegol, their feet echoing in the darkness that clung to the planet surface even at midday.  
  
Overhead, remnants of the ships damaged and destroyed a week prior, both Resistance and Imperial, spun lazily in the atmosphere, threatening to succumb to gravity at any moment.  
  
The inhabitants barely looked up at the patrol as it went by.  
  
Sith troopers were common in Exegol. Beneath the armor were the brothers and sisters who had been sacrificed to for the good of the Emperor and Empire, but it was not worth the trouble to interact. Those in the scarlet armor had been purged of their humanity during the years of training in the Imperial Creche.  
  
The Imperial Inquisitor that stood behind the two troopers was something different. Some remembered her from years past as one of those who plucked likely children for the Emperor’s forces. Children that once past the doors of their own houses had never been seen again.  
  
But what made them look closer was something they’d never seen before. Rumor had it that in the recent weeks past, before the cataclysm that had rained fire and metal on their city, a small ship had arrived at the Sith Temple.  
  
A man, dressed in black with a mask of chrome and black, entered the Emperor’s temple and more surprisingly, returned to his ship unscathed.  
  
Few knew what had transpired, whether coup or Sith magic, but what everyone now knew was that when this man returned, the power of the Emperor belonged to him.  
  
This man, this new Emperor, walked through their streets, surrounded by troopers that bore the pauldrons of the Emperor’s Elite guard.  
  
Four troopers dropped off at the mirror polished obsidian walls of the Imperial Creche, taking positions to the left and the right, guarding against those that might threaten their Emperor.  
  
The reflection of the approaching party – the Inquisitor leading, the four Sith troopers standing to each corner of the new Emperor – shimmered along the polished black stone walls of the Imperial Creche.  
  
In the center of the Creche wall was a double door of dark metal, guarded by two troopers clad in similar red armor carrying matching pulse rifles.  
  
The guards stood a bit straighter as they recognized the presence in the center. One reached out and with an almost imperceptible flick of a finger, pressed a button.  
  
An officer descended from the parapet, straightening his uniform as he reached the ground.  
  
He bowed to the dark figure and said, “Emperor Ren, we are honored by your presence!”  
  
A dismissive wave of his gloved hand ended any further conversation.  
  
“Hmm,” she said, non-committally. “The Emperor wishes to inspect the Creche.”  
  
“Of course, Imperator, Inquisitor. However, there has been a security incident. The Creche Mother is unavailable.”  
  
“The Creche Mother is not needed,” came the deeply modulated voice from inside the mask of the Emperor, “My time is precious. I will inspect the Creche without delay.”  
  
“Yes, Imperator. Please enter.”  
  
The guards and the Emperor passed ahead of the Inquisitor into the yard beyond.  
  
~~  
  
Inside was an empty quadrangle bounded on three sides by dormitories, classrooms and training facilities.  
  
For a facility intended for children, it was eerily silent.  
  
The Commandant of the training regiment strode forward, trying hard not to look like he was rushing.  
  
The Commandant addressed the gate officer briefly.  
  
“Return to your station,” he ordered under his breath before turning and bowing to the Emperor.  
  
The tall, black-clad figure waved off his escort, allowing the Commandant to stand closer, but never stopped walking, his Inquisitor at his side.  
  
The Commandant turned to the Inquisitor, “Tenth Sister. You’ve been away a while.”  
  
The Tenth Sister said, “The Emperor requires a new security detail. The last proved . . . unworthy. We will select the best of your troops for advanced training.”  
  
“Of course, Inquisitor. The Imperial Creche is at the Emperor’s disposal.”  
  
The Emperor spoke again, “See that you remember that. Disobedience will be dealt with swiftly.”  
  
“As it should be, Imperator.”  
  
“Excellent,” said the Tenth Sister, “The inspection will begin immediately. Make it happen, Commandant.”  
  
“Of course, Inquisitor.”  
  
The Commandant pressed several buttons on his datapad.  
  
The sound of marching feet soon sounded through out the drill field.  
  
Children poured out of the buildings and down the stairways into the central parade ground. Several hundred children, of all ages, toddling to marching. Children carried by other children. Children dressed in identical uniforms.  
  
The escort split, two taking positions to either side of the Emperor and the Tenth Sister. The other two took positions at the edge of the parade ground.  
  
Silence fell before the Emperor spoke again to the Commandant.  
  
“You have trained your charges well, but how well do they obey when you are not standing over them? I require absolute loyalty.”  
  
“Imperator?” asked the Commandant.  
  
“Staff will retire to the dining hall, where I will brief you on the changes to the training plan,” said the Inquisitor.  
  
“But the children. . .”  
  
The Tenth Sister spoke up, “Are you afraid the children will disappoint you, Commandant? Surely they will be fine without Creche supervision for a brief time.”  
  
“I warn you - do not question my wishes,” commanded the Emperor, “You will find me to be a worthy successor to Emperor Palpatine, and I will brook no disobedience.”  
  
The Commandant nodded, drew himself to his maximum height, and addressed the children that filled the field before him, “My troopers are obedient. We obey the Emperor, don’t we?” he asked.  
  
“Yes, Commandant,” responded the troops, some in unison, others slightly behind.  
  
The Emperor nodded, his eyes hidden behind the black and chrome mask, “Good. Staff will leave. Now.”  
  
The adults obeyed, some pointing at older children to assign them responsibility for the younger.  
  
The Tenth Sister left the Emperor with his Sith Trooper guard, and escorted the adults to the dining hall.  
  
The Emperor spoke again to the crowd.  
  
“I am pleased with your obedience.I have a special mission for you.”  
  
A hand shot into the air.  
  
There’s always one, thought Ben, knowing that at one time, he had been the one full of curiosity, unable to contain the questions that rattled inside his mind.  
  
He’d need to keep an eye on this one.  
  
The Emperor paused and turned his head to see a dark haired girl of about ten years old who waited as patiently as she could to be recognized, a questioning look on her face.  
  
To the great surprise of the older children, the Emperor nodded in her direction.  
  
She said, “How do we know you’re really the Emperor? You’re wearing a mask.”  
  
One of the oldest children marched quickly to her side, her face red with anger.  
  
“What is your name, youngling?” asked the Emperor.  
  
The girl saw her superior edging down the row toward her, and realized that perhaps she had spoken out of turn.  
  
Her voice reduced only slightly, “Preza, Imperator.”  
  
“Come here, Preza.”  
  
Preza walked carefully along the edge of the crowd, and approached the front of the parade ground.  
  
“Imperator,” she said, bowing when she arrived.  
  
A look of shock passed over her brown eyes as she watched the Emperor squat before her.  
  
“You have wisdom beyond your years. No one here, even the officers, thought to check if I was truly the Emperor. And, for your wisdom, I will show you my face.”  
  
Gloved hands reached to both sides of the mask, releasing the clasp with a hiss of air.  
  
The helmet released and he pulled it from his head.  
  
There was the face that Ben knew so well, the face that had stared at him in the mirror for the past year. A face at the same time familiar but so different now.  
  
Cresh’s face. Twin to Ben’s face with scars Ben no longer bore, wearing a mask identical to Ben’s before he damaged it in a fit of pique.  
  
Cresh stood back up, and returned the helmet to his head.  
  
The true Emperor’s face was hidden beneath the mask of a Sith Trooper.  
  
“I believe there may be a post in Security in your future,” praised Cresh, “Now go back to your place.”  
  
The false Emperor spoke loud enough to be heard by the crowd.  
  
“Senior Patrol leaders will attend me.”  
  
Teenagers from the edges of each block block walked forward into their Emperor’s presence.  
  
A young man in his mid-teens, tall and skinny with red hair shaved close to his head, lead the group that approached the Emperor.  
  
“Senior Cadet Captain Brenat, Imperator. What are your orders?” he asked.  
  
“My faithful servants, I require your absolute obedience. Do not alarm the younglings, but above our heads is a fragment of one of the ships that we expect will fall very soon, obliterating the Creche. We must evacuate immediately. To the East of the gates are shuttles. You will evacuate the Creche starting with the youngest groups. Begin.”  
  
The red-haired leader nodded, backed away from the Emperor reverently and pulled the others into a huddle, assigning roles.  
  
His young voice, crackling with the authority of his position, turned back to those standing on the field, and called, “Evacuation Aurek.”  
  
Every child rescued from the Creche knew Evacuation Aurek.  
  
The children began to move in a far more organized manner than Ben would have expected from children. The babies in their floating prams, groups of children barely old enough to walk and those still not sure of their role began to move to the gate at a quick but not alarmed pace.  
  
A patrol of older children, wearing pauldrons of security escorted the youngsters, guiding them out of the gates.  
  
The Emperor’s troopers patrolled the edges of the field.  
  
Ben heard the crackle of the comm in his helmet.  
  
“Jenth reporting in. The first shuttle is loading. Control reports ships in the vicinity.”  
  
“Esk here. We ran into a patrol. They’ve down but they called for reinforcements.”  
  
“Dorn here. We’ve got Sith troopers coming from the base. Mira, we’re going to need your help.”  
  
“Creche staff are locked in. I’m coming,” said Mira, “We need to speed up the evacuation. Sith Troopers aren’t the worst we’ll need to deal with. Donal, make sure the engines are powered up. We’re going to launch as soon as we’re loaded.”  
  
Ben approached the Patrol Leader.  
  
“Captain Brenat, we have reports of an attempted coup. We’ll protect the Emperor but there’s going to be a fire fight. Are your troops ready?”  
  
“Yes, trooper. The untrained have already been loaded. The remaining troopers will give their lives for their Emperor. I will see to it.”  
  
“Let’s hope that’s not necessary. Carry on.”  
  
Ben walked back to his post on the edge of the field within range of the Emperor.  
  
The com channel remained busy, “Krill here. First shuttle is away. Send in the next shuttle.”  
  
It had been only a matter of time before someone in Imperial Control figured out what was going on, before troopers were unleashed or a Sith Shade arrived to prevent the mission.  
  
The sound of running feet and blaster fire erupted from beyond the walls. The evacuation halted as the sounds came nearer.  
  
Ben’s thoughts had barely finished forming when he heard what he dreaded - the whine of a ship coming in from the West.  
  
“Donal here. We’re tracking a single person craft coming in from the West.”  
  
It has been only 5 minutes but the parade ground is half empty, the oldest and the youngest either escorted or escorting. The shuttles lifted off from the nearby park.  
  
The sound of retro engines filled the parade ground as a single person craft flew in from beyond the buildings.  
  
The craft paid no attention to the children remaining on the ground, landing in the center of the parade ground, nearly crushing those who waited patiently for their turn to leave, trusting the pilot to land further away.  
  
Ben hears Mira’s voice over the comm, “Escort fighters – launch.”  
  
The hatch of the ship lifted, and a woman in black and red body armor emerged from the craft. She leapt to the ground and walked unhurriedly toward the ersatz Emperor.  
  
“Phase 1, blasters only!” commanded Cresh into the commlink as he lit then twirled his lightsaber, “Let’s not give it away, boys.”  
  
He addresses the Sith Shade who ran the Creche, “Raska.”  
  
She lit and twirled her saber, holding it high above her head, “Emperor Ren.”  
  
Ben joined his three ‘Sith Trooper’ brethren as he sprinted from the edges of the parade ground, shooting with his blaster at the Sith warrior.  
  
Ben knew he was a competent shot when not wearing stormtrooper armor. He wasn’t sure how his shots could so widely miss their mark, but neither he nor any of the red armored clones could land a shot on the Sith Shade.  
  
A strained grunt rose from beneath the craft, followed by a sob.  
  
Ben could see a dark brown arm trapped between the landing gear and the fuselage.  
  
It was Preza.  
  
She was trying to be brave but there was no way she could escape on her own.  
  
Ben hesitated. He needed to help Cresh with Raska.  
  
Cresh ordered, “Besh, get Preza.”  
  
He looked around for Besh, then remembered that was his code name. He was closest to the ship now.  
  
He edged around the back of the craft to find out where the sound was coming from.  
  
Ben could have flung the craft across the parade ground but that would draw attention when he needed stealth. He focused the Force and boosted the craft enough that he could reach in his hand and grab ahold of her foot.  
  
When Ben and Preza emerged, he found Raska holding Cresh with the Force the way he had once held Rey.  
  
And like that time, she was rummaging through Cresh’s thoughts. Ben knew that Cresh was well trained, but he realized that only he, and perhaps Mira, would be able to resist that type of onslaught.  
  
He pulled the lightsaber from the roll in the back of his armor, dropping his sidearm. Surprise was no longer a concern. He needed to save Cresh.  
  
Preza looked at him expectantly, saw where he was looking and said, “Go help the Emperor. I can get out by myself.”  
  
She picked up his blaster and sprinted for the edge of the field, crouched as if she had been training for this day her whole life.  
  
Childhood is fleeting on Exegol.  
  
The field is now empty except for Mira’s Sith troopers and the Sith Shade.  
  
The troopers saw Ben light his saber and they did the same.  
  
“Ah! What a lovely deception,” Raska said, tossing Cresh to the ground.  
  
Finally free of her grip, he fell like a ragdoll.  
  
“The Emperor hides behind the façade of a servant. I can feel you, feel your power. I will find you.”  
  
She spun around, to deflect a backhanded saber strike from Ben.  
  
“There you are. You are the one named heir to Palpatine, not this charlatan.”  
  
Ben strikes again and again, “Yes, I am the Emperor, and the children are mine.”  
  
“Are they? Perhaps they are, but only as long as you remain Emperor. I waited patiently for decades while they reconstituted that weak shell of the Emperor. The faithful of the Sith Eternal held him in power but you have no such support. You have no powerful allies, just this ragtag band. You are alone. Thank you for clearing the path. I will now take your place.”  
  
Ben waved to the others.  
  
“Get the ships out of here.”  
  
Jenth’s voice crackled over the com, “Jenth here. We’re evacuating the last shuttle. If you can hold just a little longer.”  
  
“Cresh here,” his voice is weak but resolute, “Raska thinks we will abandon our Emperor. She is wrong. We can’t leave without him.”  
  
Mira’s voice was ragged as she ran, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  
  
Once, Ben would have been able to subdue Raska without difficulty, but he was still healing.  
  
She was not able to freeze him the way she froze Cresh, but she was able to slow his response times.  
  
She circled him, “Your reputation preceeds you, Kylo Ren. The brutality and cruelty of the Supreme Leader is legendary. There is a river of blood on your hands – Skywalker’s Jedi Temple, Taunul, The Hosnian system, Takodana, Starkiller Base. Should I go on?”  
  
Their red sabers spun and danced as they fought, until Raska finally managed to lock him in place.  
  
“I see your mind, Kylo Ren. I see that it was you who killed your master, not the young Jedi.”  
  
She repelled an attack by the other Sith Troopers, knocking them all to the ground.  
  
“Don’t bother me, children. Let us continue,” she said, returning to look at her captive.  
  
“Not used to others reading your mind, are you? Your barriers are strong, but this is my strength. I’m curious. I have always wished to kill a Jedi. Let us go back to the day you defeated Master Skywalker. I want to feel your victory before I snuff the life from your body.”  
  
She holds her hand cupped near his face as he strains to keep her out.  
  
“Wait. What is this? You did not defeat Skywalker. You did not destroy the Temple. Who are you, Kylo Ren?”  
  
The com comes back to life, “That Preza kid single-handedly rescued a a group of youngsters from custody. She’s something else. Everyone return to the ship. All the shuttles are away.”  
  
That was the message that Ben had been waiting for. He no longer needed to delay.  
  
“I am not Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren is dead.”  
  
Breaking free of her influence, he pushed her with the Force backward.  
  
“I am Ben Solo and I am a Jedi.”  
  
He felt anger rising but instead of letting it control him, he channeled it into strength.  
  
He reached out and froze her, instead.  
  
He had not time to think about what he would do with her now when a red saber blade erupted through the sternum of her red and black armor.  
  
As Raska crumpled, Ben saw Mira standing behind.  
  
“I have taken your kill, Emperor. I hope you will forgive me,” said the Miralukan Inquisitor.  
  
“You have spared me the choice. You are forgiven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who may be wondering, cloning technology in Exegol is one way the Sith Troopers are increased.  
> Preza is related to Rae Sloane and is just as smart, brave and determined as her progenitor.  
> They also experimented more with clones on Exegol. They tried adjusting the clones by adding other genetic material, giving different appearances to the Rey and Ben clones, so they can be played on screen by different actors who look similar to Adam and Daisy.  
> I loved the idea of giving Ben his own "Padme and the Handmaidens" moment.  
> In a fully fleshed story, Cresh would have a better story arc. Because I'm trying to get this out as a 'first draft', just accept my word that he is more 3 dimensional than you see here.  
> Also, there was meant to be more self-reflection on Ben's part as he saw for the first time exactly how manipulated he's been by Palps/Snoke, giving himself a little more chance to forgive himself.  
> Hopefully, he'll grow into the Solo the galaxy is going to need him to be.  
> Because between him and Rey, they've rescued a whole lot of kids (some of them force sensitive), found themselves a couple of remnants of the Jedi Order, and if they survive the flight back to the regular galaxy, there are going to be an awful lot of Skywalkers roaming around.  
> Thank you for sticking around with me through this.


	18. Heroes are made by the times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle is upon us.  
> A division of aimless Stormtroopers has taken something precious.  
> Finn and Rose cover-up for Rey who has gone missing.  
> The Contingency is lost in Wild Space.  
> Ben and Cresh discover that they are more alike than just skin deep.  
> ~  
> And that Final Order ISD hones in on its target.  
> Can our heroes stop the destruction of the Galaxy's best shipyard and the millions of people who live on Corellia?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive the 'draft-y' ness of this. I've got a lot of "Rose said," "Sinjir said." etc. In a completed writing this would be neatened up and (hopefully) unnoticeable. I realized that there's a lot of dialog that we don't know whose talking so I've put simple dialog tags on it.  
> This is the third act, it will be fairly long, and come in pieces.  
> I just wanted to post the first section to keep myself on track.

  
Sinjir scowled from the edge of the landing pad, watching as the door hissed open, venting the ship air into the atmosphere of Corellia.  
  
He didn’t want help, especially from the fledgling government, but Conder had convinced him that he was too old to be running these kinds of missions by himself anymore.  
  
“I guess Conder misses me,” he thought. Their fights were usually excuses to make up, and even at their advanced ages, Conder still had that certain something that Sinjir looked forward to coming home to.  
  
Conder was the bright optimistic half of their relationship. Sinjir was definitely the dark half, the pessimistic half.  
  
That pessimism kept him alive.  
  
Pessimism warned him not to trust a government in flux.  
  
He worried about the ‘help’ the new Chancellor sent.  
  
The ‘General’ and the ‘Jedi.’  
  
Would this ‘General’ be some bloviated windbag that traded lives for glory?  
  
And the Jedi – no one had heard of her a year before.  
  
No, this wasn’t going to go well. Nora would have hated this.  
  
Nora Wexley would have had a plan. She’d have whipped these newcomers into shape if they didn’t get themselves killed. But there was no way in the universe that Sinjir would disturb her now. She and Wedge had already given the galaxy enough even before her son Temmin – they called him ‘Snap’ now, he reminded himself – had been lost in the Battle of Exegol.  
  
Temmin had only been a boy when he and that smart-ass B1 droid of his had helped drag Sinjir out of the funk that would have ended with him drinking himself to death on some piss-ant world.  
  
The boy Sinjir knew was gone, lost while this wet-behind-the-ears Jedi reportedly battled Palpatine himself.  
  
Sinjir shook his head. No time for mourning now. Lives were still at risk.  
  
Nobody knew how to manipulate the rank and file of an organization like the First Order better than a former Imperial Loyalty officer.  
  
So when Chancellor Ransolm Casterfo learned that the First Order’s 709th Division had splintered off on their own, taking a supply ship containing medicine and food specially designated for Proanta IV’s largest hospital, Sinjir was his first choice.  
  
The antivirals in that shipment would reduce the mortality rate of the plague sweeping through Proanta IV’s largest continent to near zero.  
  
Millions of lives were on the line.  
  
Ransolm couldn’t offer a full pardon, reducing Sinjir’s bargaining chips to next to nothing.  
  
The highly-trained killing machines that were the First Order’s 709th Division – Kylo Ren’s Own – children of the First Order’s brainwashing programs, were a nightmare with no leadership, no direction and no assurance that they could be integrated back into society. With Supreme Leader Kylo Ren missing and believed dead, they were hunkered down in an abandoned shipdock high above from Coronet City, waiting for an opportunity to get them all offworld.  
  
The antivirals were their bargaining chip. They trusted the new government less than Sinjir did.  
  
Unless someone could convince them, this was going to be a bloodbath.  
  
Boots on the ramp drew his attention back to the shuttle from the 'Mercy' and her passengers.  
  
Those boots were filled by a tall man in the uniform recently adopted by the forces of the Resistance and New Republic Alliance. The uniform bore the unmistakable sigil of a general.  
  
The way his sparkling dark eyes scanned the landing pad for danger and his hand rested firmly on the holstered stock of his blaster, Sinjir knew that this ‘General’ was not some aristocrat who had been granted the title in exchange for credits. He was obviously military. The troopers of the 709th were looking for their reason, for a mission. Sinjir hoped this man could earn their respect.  
  
Maybe there was potential for this mission yet.  
  
General Finn looked back up the ramp. A woman, wearing a white cloak and hood stepped gingerly over the threshold of the ship and walked carefully down the ramp to join the General.  
  
The swirling cloak was accompanied by a staff made of what looked like scrounged ship parts.  
  
That had to be the Scavenger Jedi he’d heard so much about, but the former Loyalty Officer was puzzled. He was trained to sniff out deception and there was something wrong about her.  
  
The grip on the staff was a bit too tight. Her gait was too stiff, her head bowed, hiding her face inside the shadows of the hood.  
  
No, he was sure of it.  
  
Sinjir walked from the building entrance, approaching the newcomers anyway.  
  
“General Finn. Jedi Rey. Welcome to Corellia,” he offered.  
  
“Sinjir Rath Velus?” asked the General.  
  
Sinjir nodded.  
  
The wiry agent with the salt and pepper hair turned to the woman, who hadn’t spoken a word.  
  
Standing next to her, he realized what was off.  
  
“I thought you would be a little taller, Jedi.”  
  
Finn took the Jedi by the upper arm, guiding her toward the building, as he said to Sinjir conspiratorially, “Can we talk? Inside?”  
  
“Please, come this way. We’ve got a secure conference room and refreshments.”  
  
Sinjir lead the way, followed by Finn escorting the Jedi quickly out of the corridor and into the conference room.  
  
The General looked both ways in the corridor before closing and locking the door.  
  
The woman walked away from the door to the wraparound transparasteel windows that displayed the less-than-stunning view of smoggy Coronet City.  
  
“Please call me Finn. May I call you Sinjir?” asked the General.  
  
When Sinjir nodded, the dark-haired man continued, “Conder said we could trust you.”  
  
That didn’t sound good. Conder had convinced Sinjir to stick his neck out for what Conder had felt to be ‘worthy causes’ in the past. He wondered what it would be this time.  
  
Sinjir bowed his head slightly in acquiescence, “You can trust a former Imperial Loyalty Officer to keep your secret.”  
  
“How do you know it’s a secret?” asked Finn.  
  
Sinjir joined the Jedi at the window.  
  
“It’s not just a secret, it’s a subterfuge," said Sinjir, "You, my dear Jedi, are no Jedi.”  
  
The woman turned back to look at her accuser, who pulled the hood off her head.  
  
Sinjir knew the face of the Jedi Rey. This was not her. It was General Tico.  
  
“Rey’s missing,” she said.  
  
“That is not good. Don’t tell me we need to find her.” asked Sinjir, “Things here are volatile. I don’t think they can wait unless you think she’s in danger. . .”  
  
“No, no,” interrupted Finn, “Rey is fine, but Ransolm can’t know she’s missing. We’re just running interference for her.”  
  
Rose spoke, “She hasn’t been the same since she came back from Exegol. She said it’s a Jedi thing, but I think she just needs to get away from people for a while.”  
  
“Ransolm wants to show her how grateful we all are, but she needs some space. Something happened at the Sith Temple but she won’t tell us. Says it’s a Jedi thing.”  
  
“You’re sure she’s okay?” asked Sinjir. He didn’t need another mission but a missing Jedi could be trouble.  
  
Rose returned to the table and picked at the fruit plate that was set there, ”We heard from the ship she accidentally stowed away on. She's fine.”  
  
Sinjir had willingly stowed away on more than one ship in his time, but not accidentally.  
  
Thinking again, there had been one time. He’d had too much something that tasted horrible but numbed his mind. The less he remembered about that adventure, the better.  
  
He expected from what he’d heard about Jedi during his Imperial training that they were a bit more . . . stoic . . . than that. But this was a new generation of Jedi. Maybe they would be a little less hidebound than their predecessors.  
  
“How does one accidentally stow away on a ship?”  
  
“I don’t know. But Ransolm wants her back on Chandrila in 2 days. We’d rather he not know that she’s gone off on her own mission. She’ll show up when she’s ready,” said Rose Tico.  
  
“She wasn’t abducted?”  
  
“Nobody can abduct a Jedi. The ship’s safe. She just needs some space.”  
  
“That’s it? We’re just keeping the fact that the only Jedi in the known galaxy has gone missing from the Chancellor? Why don’t you give me a secret worth keeping?”  
  
Finn seemed to breathe a little easier, a silly grin spreading across his face. Apparently, that was all it was.  
  
“Oh, right,” said Finn, pulling something out of his breast pocket, “Conder sent you this.”  
  
General Finn handed him a data chip.  
  
“This is some of the data that Conder pulled from the First Order servers. There’s some incriminating evidence here, especially about Hux and Ren. There may be something you can use to sway the 709th.”  
  
“I don't know if there's anything I can do to sway the 709th. I don’t think there is much that will convince the 709th to turn on their Master. They still believe that Kylo Ren is alive and that he’ll come back to give them a purpose again. They’re a detonator waiting for an igniter. Their faith in their Supreme Leader is the only thing that’s keeping their ranks together. It’s just a matter of time before some trooper with a grudge figures out Ren isn’t coming back, and they’ll try to take the power they feel they deserve. Best scenario in that case is that they wipe themselves out with limited collateral damage.”  
  
“That’s horrible.”  
  
Sinjir would have expected that from Tico, but not from Finn.  
  
“You’re concerned about the wellbeing of Stormtroopers? I know for a fact that you’ve killed your fair share. It’s noble of you to start caring now.”  
  
“I was a Stormtrooper once. I know what it’s like to be a cog in a wheel that big. We all get caught up in the moment. I realize that I’ve let the us vs them make me forget that I was once one of them. I spent plenty of nights wishing I had told my bunkmates that I didn’t believe in the cause anymore, that we all should have deserted like Jannah did. You were a loyalty officer. You know what that would mean.”  
  
“I’ve helped plenty of ‘lost souls’ like yourself back to the proper mindset, or made sure they became an example to their fellows. Yes, I know,” admitted Sinjir.  
  
“What’s the chance that most of them just want a way out but haven’t found their chance?” asked Rose.  
  
“What do you think, General?  
  
“FN-2187.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I was FN-2187. Ren called me Traitor. I’m sure Phasma made an example of me before I killed her. There’s no way they’re going to listen to me, never mind follow me. All they’ll see is the deserter.”  
  
“I deserted the Empire. Left my post during the Battle of Endor. Just walked away. Drank myself into a stupor every night until I found a purpose. Looks like you made the right choices – left on your own, skipped the booze-fest, found yourself good people to be with, ‘General.’ So maybe your purpose is to lead them away from the bad choices they’re making.”  
  
Sinjir placed both hands on the table and stared up at Finn.  
  
“You understand them better than anyone. A trooper would run away. A leader would figure out what they need and use that to bring about the desired result. They need to know that they have someone who will stand up for them in the new government. They don’t need to be rogue. They need a job to do.”  
  
“If I know my troopers right – and I do – what we need to do is make them think that you’re really a First Order general, that you were chosen for a special mission and what they heard was all propoganda.”  
  
Rose’s eyes widened, “That would do it. Can Conder change the First Order database? Fill in some blanks?”  
  
Sinjir’s lips curled up thoughtfully, “If anyone could, it would be Conder.”  
  
"Once we get you in, you’re going to need to talk fast, Finn," said Rose.  
  
“I wouldn’t need to talk fast if I had Rey here.”  
  
“She’s a Jedi. I don’t care how powerful you think she is, she’s not going to be able to mind trick an entire division.”  
  
“I agree,” said General Tico, “You’re the best one for this, Finn.”  
  
“She’s not here. You need to do this yourself.”  
  
Sinjir walked back to the window.  
  
“What’s it going to be, Trooper or General?”  
  
Finn’s com chimed. He looked at it briefly then said to Rose, “It’s Rey!”  
  
He pressed the controls on the table, and a holo of Rey appeared above.  
  
She was smiling.  
  
Finn’s body relaxed with relief, “Thank goodness you’re okay.”  
  
“Finn! Rose! I’m coming back. I found something wonderful on Jakku.”  
  
“Jakku? You went back to Jakku?” asked Finn, incredulously.  
  
“Yes. It wasn’t my choice, but I believe the Force sent me there for a reason. I’ll tell you later. I need your help.”  
  
“We’ve got a situation here, too, Rey. We really need you on Corellia.  
  
“But I’ve got a ship full of orphans.”  
  
“Orphans?” asked Finn, “You’ve only been gone a day. How’d you get a ship full of orphans?”  
  
“Unkar Plutt abandoned his crew. They’d never survive by themselves on Jakku. I need to find a place for them to stay until I can find them homes.”  
  
Rose answered, “I promise you I'll help, Rey, but we need you here in Corellia as soon as possible. You’re going to need to bring them to with you. We’ll figure it out as soon as we can.”  
  
“Why Corellia?”  
  
“It’s a long story,” said Finn.


	19. Lost in Wild Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having escaped Exegol with half a map, the 'Contingency' is now lost in Wild Space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for following along so far. Reminder that these chapters are first drafts and I hope to go back to create the finished story with more detail once this is complete.
> 
> ~~

The sound of klaxons rolled through the corridors like invisible wailing Manka cats.  
  
G-forces pulled at the crew as the inertial dampeners strained against the pull of the quasar that glared menacingly at the Contingency.  
  
Spirals of untamed energy twisted off the corona that framed the giant starving maw, crackling along the length of the pathetic human-made shields.  
  
The bridge crew, raw and untrained, worked desperately to increase the distance between the malevolent singularity that hung balefully beyond the ship.  
  
For all their effort, they knew their goal was futile. Nothing was as powerful as the colossal swirling vortex with the leviathan eye at its center.  
  
“Herf’s crews have sealed the fractures on the aft decks,” reported the young lieutenant in her grey dress uniform, “We have pressurization again in decks 20 through 27.”  
  
Her thoughts were left unspoken, “Force help us.”  
  
Getting out of this alive would be a miracle.  
  
“Thank you, Brita,” acknowledged Cresh, his words injected with a command of calmness in the Force, a cooling balm against the feeling of vulnerability. Ben had used the same command, laced with fear, during his time as Supreme Leader.  
  
The newly minted Emperor looked around the command deck. The ship’s executive team had adjourned to an alcove within earshot of the action, but far enough away to talk uninterrupted.  
  
Ben saw himself in Cresh, who still dressed in the dark cloak of Kylo Ren, his face scarred across the cheek.  
  
Donal was there for the children, and Jenth for the troops.  
  
And Mira. Ben still felt a quiver of unease when he saw the Inquisitor uniform, even with her helmet off. He'd been told by Donal that Mira's uniform was her own, not some disguise. Still, he felt in her a balance in the force – neither light nor dark. The Miralukan’s ebony-blue face was bare save for the mask that clung to the space where eyes would have been on a human.  
  
He eyed the holo of the quasar they’d named Behemoth, looking up through the transparency to catch the attention of the ship’s captain.  
  
Speaking quietly but firmly he said, “Our choices are limited. If we choose the wrong path, Behemoth will pull us in. We only get one chance.”  
  
“You’ve been here before. What did you do then?” asked Donal.  
  
“I had a TIE Whisper, the best ship ever designed by Sienar-Jaemus. The way to Exegol was one of the most difficult flights I’ve ever faced, even with that advance technology and the Wayfinder.”  
  
He leaned against the holo table and continued, “This is a Xyston-class Imperial ISD, a twenty-year-old design. The Sith Eternal were counting on the axial superlaser not infrastructure upgrades. It has several orders of magnitude more mass. Reaching escape velocity is not impossible, but near improbable.”  
  
Ben felt Mira’s aura shift to comforting as his distress ripple through the Force. It was moments like these when he realized how much he had changed. Without the voices in his head – Palpatine had created of Snoke, Palpatine, Vader and more recently he suspected, himself – he could for the first time in his life know that his decisions were his own.  
  
Without the constant drag of those dark voices, his indifference to the loss of life that had marked his days in the First Order had twisted 180 degrees to a deep concern for the lives that depended on him now. He now understood his mother’s compassion. If only she could see what he had become.  
  
“It’s not your fault. This is where the Map ends. We knew it was a long shot,” she said.  
  
Cresh said what they were all thinking, “What about the laser? It’s a planet killer. We can use it to push away.”  
  
They all looked to Ben.  
  
“That’s true, but once it’s been fired, we’ll barely have enough energy to power the shields until the engines recharge. If we’re not on the right course, we’ll get dragged back in.”  
  
“Which means we have to be going in the right direction,” said Donal with conviction.  
  
Ben’s voice tightened. They were all depending on him to get them out of this place, and he didn’t have any idea how to do it, “I don’t know what the right direction is.”  
  
“Ben,” said Mira, placing a hand on the back of his hand, “Trust the Force.”  
  
Ben’s voice, full of desperation and an edge of despair, dropped so it was only audible to those at the holo-table, “The Force has given me nothing but pain. The Dark, the Light, neither works for me. If it weren’t for Rey, I’d want it gone.”  
  
Ben took a deep breath and continued, “I’m supposed to be a leader, and all I’ve done is take us from the frying pan into the fire.”  
  
He looked at Donal, “Even if we get out of here alive, I don’t know if I can find shelter for your people. I’m not exactly the most beloved person in the known galaxy.”  
  
Donal looked back, unabashed, “One problem at a time. The Force will provide. You’ll find a way. We trust you.”  
  
“How can you trust me? I don’t trust me. I just want to get back to Rey and maybe find some way to make up for some of the suffering I’ve caused in the Universe. Maybe find a place where I can spend my life where the inevitable bounty hunter looking for fame and fortune won’t find me.”  
  
“You’d give up ruling the galaxy for her,” said Cresh.  
  
“I don’t want to be Emperor, or Supreme Leader, or Jedi Knight or even Squad Leader. All I want is her. She’s all I’ve wanted since the day I touched her mind on Takodana, maybe before. She’s all I want. All I need.”  
  
Lieutenant Brita’s voice rose from the command deck, “Captain, impact with a plasma band in 20 seconds. Prepare for impact.”  
  
Cresh turned and drew in a breath to speak, but Ben’s focus faded. The crackling of energy against the shield dropped to unexpected silence.  
  
His heart beat faster, his eyes wide as he scanned the room.  
  
Nothing else was like the bond. She had to be here somewhere.  
  
And then, he knew. He turned, facing away from the executive team.  
  
She was barely more than an outline, a hint of the Rey whose presence had been strong enough to transcend distance. But not this time.  
  
“Rey,” he muttered, his voice low and gravelly.  
  
Everything else – everything else faded away as he looked at the transparent woman who seemed only steps away but so out of reach.  
  
He saw his name drop from her lips, but the sound never reached him.  
  
She faded like a shadow in the midday sun.  
  
His heart broke. He wouldn’t make it home to her, and she’d faded away without so much as a goodbye. At least, in his final moments, they had seen each other one last time.  
  
A shameless tear rolled down the face of the Emperor.  
  
Mira placed a hand on his shoulder. Her voice wavered slightly, "She’s not gone, Ben. She’s still there."  
  
"But she's going to have to go on without me. At least I got to see her one last time."  
  
"Stubborn boy. Wait. She's not gone."  
  
"Wait?" he said, the pain wrapping around his vocal cords.  
  
"Turn around, Emperor. Your Empress awaits you."  
  
Mira forced him to turn him back around.  
  
“She stands just the other side of the bond. Wait. Wait for her. Your bond is strong but the distance is long. She has something for you.”  
  
Then Rey’s hand appeared – just a hand, fading at the wrist to impotent air.  
  
Her fingers curled around a silver object more solid than she had been. She pushed it through the veil.  
  
He reached out with the force, raising his hand as he had on Pasaana, pulling with everything he had.  
  
“No, Ben. Don’t pull her. The gift. Take the gift.”  
  
He refocused on the object, touching it with his senses.  
  
It was cold metal, but its center was warm and bright.  
  
Feeling his touch in the Force the young Jedi released it and it floated gently to his hand as easily as if it had been a piece of fruit.  
  
Donal peeked past Cresh’s shoulder.  
  
“What is it?” he asked.  
  
He held it up, marveling at the craftsmanship, its familiar shape a memory of a time lost. A time when this very device sat next to the lightsaber he’d used to defend himself from his uncle.  
  
Pressing the latch mechanism, it opened, exposing the Supraluminite core that welcomed his touch.  
  
“The Jedi Star Compass,” said Mira.  
  
“Yes. I was studying it the night,” he paused, the memory now overwhelming, “the night Luke came to my hut with his lightsaber.”  
  
His eyes brightened like the young scholar he had been on that day.  
  
“It knows the path to the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To,” he explained.  
  
Jenth smiled, “It will tell us the way to go. So we’re going to Ahch-To.”  
  
“Yes,” he said, “but that is not our final destination.”  
  
He turned the compass, exposing its base.  
  
There, etched in an unschooled hand was one word.  
  
Cresh didn’t wait for orders. He pressed the general com.  
  
“Gunner crew, charge the laser. We will depart as soon as it is ready. Our destination is Corellia.”


	20. A soldier’s most powerful weapon is courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn finds his stormtrooper disguise strangely comforting. He needs to make a decision that will determine what type of man he really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this. Between the extra work I've had during quarantine and the general mental state of it all, I hadn't been able to get this chapter organized.  
> Just a reminder - this is a first-draft style chapter. I hope to go back and fill in the blanks. I have a lot of ideas about redemption and atonement that I'd like to fit in but this is just 'getting the story out.'  
> I promised myself I needed to post this next chapter before I posted my first chapter of my new AU, 'Smuggler's Bounty' (Ben & Rey are competing smugglers) - coming soon.
> 
> ~~

Familiar readouts floated in the air on his HUD, bright against the dimly lit predawn corridors of the Sienar-Jaemus Elite Star Fighter compound.  
  
He wondered how these stiff white plates that he had shed without a second thought could be so comfortable? So normal?  
  
He felt like a different man. Invincible.  
  
To the young cadets in the training creches of the First Order, you were not worthy until you wore the white helmet.  
  
Serotonin flooded his brain with positive feedback as the reinforcement loop reasserted itself.  
  
He had broken the loop. He was no longer the conflicted man who trooped out onto the sand of Jakku a year ago, sure of his training but unsure of his mission. He was sure of this mission, even without the extra boost.  
  
The armor represented who he had been, not who he was now. FN-2187 was now Finn, a changed man. He had become something better than the what those evil people had molded him to be.  
  
The rare night shift workers looked sullenly at the ersatz trooper as he stomped by on his pretense of security rounds.  
  
He now knew that the surly looks were not the deference he was trained to see, but fear of the power that they had seen abused so many times.  
  
His left hand subconsciously tapped against the side of his armor. That tick would have gotten him assigned to Phasma’s retraining division. Well, would have gotten him assigned to Phasma’s division earlier.  
  
Before he was a cog in a wheel, a blaster in a battalion. Now he was a leader, and millions of lives hung on the outcome of this mission.  
  
A set of footsteps echoed down the hall. Another trooper appeared around the corner, a scarlet team leader pauldron offsetting the white plates.  
  
“We’re not far from Flight Bay 12,” said the modified voice from the other’s helmet, then paused for a second, “You’re tapping again,” reminded his partner quietly as they turned the corner into an empty corridor. “You need to get that under control.”  
  
“I’m trying,” said Finn, his words echoing mechanically off the silent hallway.  
  
“Hmmph,” grunted Sinjir, “Try harder. We have 20 minutes before the first evac window. The sooner we find the cargo, the sooner we get out. If they catch us, the whole mission is blown.”  
  
“Way to calm my nerves,” Finn retorted.  
  
Sinjir carried the armor as if he were a fresh recruit, not a relic of the Empire. Sinjir’s Stormtrooper training was decades before Finn’s, from the height of the Empire, but his reputation preceded him.  
  
It was Finn’s turn to grunt as he verified the time on the chrono on his heads up display, “Hmm. It’s going to be close.”  
  
“Then let’s move,” said Sinjir, turning in beside Finn and setting a rapid cadence.  
  
The rogue First Order unit holding the Sienar-Jaemus’s facility had made their demand clear. The ransom for the medicine was simple in concept but difficult in execution. The New Alliance government couldn’t give them what they didn’t have.  
  
They demanded one life - Kylo Ren - in exchange for the medicine that would save the lives of the millions already exposed to the virus.  
  
But despite the price on his head and the eyes of the known galaxy searching for him, no one had claimed the bounty.  
  
Even if the former Supreme Leader had been in custody, releasing him without trial would have been impossible.  
  
The loss of Kijimi reopened the wounds left by the destruction of Hosnian Prime. The subtle difference between the First Order and the Final Order were lost on many, who saw the new ships as some new First Order plot.  
  
The people of the galaxy waited by their holosets, hoping to hear that the Supreme Leader would be brought to justice by New Alliance government.  
  
The mission now was to assess the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses, get the coordinates of the target, and get out. The assault troops waited at Chandrila. If they arrived too soon, all would be lost.  
  
“It’s too quiet,” said Sinjir, his helmet modulated voice echoing off the dark corridor walls in the pre-dawn.  
  
“It’s oh three hundred. Anyone who is not on watch or punishment duty is sacked out,” responded Finn.  
  
Sinjir maintained his cover, “This is the time of day our loyalty officer would run chaos drills. I bet Valut’s that kind of guy.”  
  
The leader of this renegade group was reported to be First Order Loyalty Officer Naron Valut, commander of the garrison assigned to guard the Supreme Leader’s private fighters and the primary reason Sinjir was here. No one knew Loyalty Officers like Loyalty Officers.  
  
“Chaos drills? That doesn’t sound pleasant.”  
  
“He used to say that pressure shows the cracks.”  
  
“Sometimes I forget you were with another unit.”  
  
The Empire, he meant. Finn knew the First Order. Sinjir knew what made troopers tick.  
  
Static crackled briefly as Sinjir’s opened his comm to the local unit’s frequency. After a brief pause to listen to the chatter, he said, “That’s unusual. There’s a shuttle arriving in Bay 11.”  
  
“A delivery?” asked Finn.  
  
“It’s not on the arrival schedule. Could be secret,” the older man mused, “I don’t like it. It’s the middle of third shift, scheduled deliveries aren’t for another hour.”  
  
“If someone’s brought in Kylo Ren, we’ve lost,” said Finn.  
  
“If someone brought in Kylo Ren, this place would be lit up like the Festival of Liberation.”  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of feet marching down the corridor.  
  
“That’s not a security patrol. It sounds like a platoon. We’ve got to get out of sight,” said Finn.  
  
Sinjir pulled a command capsule from his stash and used it on the door mechanism on their right, “Conder programmed this for any door in the complex.”  
  
The door pulled open a third of the way, the opening too small for them to get their armor through.  
  
“It’s just a maintenance room. It’s going to be small.”  
  
“Okay – the door across the hall, then.”  
  
“No, wait!” exclaimed Finn, “This is the right door.”  
  
“You said it was small. Are we going to both fit in there?”  
  
“Yes. Trust me. This is the right door.”  
  
Frustrated, Finn pounded on the plasteel door.  
  
“Shh!” ordered Sinjir, “Are you trying to draw attention?”  
  
Right. Too loud.  
  
“It’s stuck,” Sinjir whispered, “Your Jedi friend would probably use the Force to get the door open.”  
  
The Force. Rey would just put her hand out, and the door would magically open. Before he met Rey, he didn’t know about the Force. It had gradually dawned on him while watching her train, that his life had been guided by something more than the First Order.  
  
He had wondered how he, an average trooper, had made it to the top of his class in Stormtrooper training.  
  
He could almost swear there were times when targets would mysteriously swung in just the right direction so he could hit them, or his opponents in the training arena slipped when it hurt them most, or where a blaster would be aimed.  
  
He trained hard, but he had been lucky.  
  
At least he thought he’d been lucky. Now he realized that it might not have been luck.  
  
Troopers who were too lucky were culled, never returning from assignment or sick bay. He had no idea where they had ended up.  
  
Maybe the Force had been guiding him, showing him just enough to get him where he needed to be without drawing inappropriate attention.  
  
Maybe it would help him now.  
  
Finn said, “Let me see what I can do.”  
  
He mimicked Rey’s stance from when she lifted rocks. He extended his hand and willed the blockage to move, grunting with the strain.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Sweat beaded on the back of his neck under his base layer. The marching feet were just beyond the hallway juncture.  
  
“Whatever you’re doing, hurry it up,” said Sinjir, “We’re running out of time!”  
  
“Not helping!” Finn complained.  
  
One final time, Finn gathered himself and reached out to feel whatever it was that was blocking the door.  
  
With a thud, the impediment fell. The door whooshed open and they dashed inside.  
  
As the door closed, the sound of marching feet halted.  
  
Sinjir hastily locked the door, sealing it with the code from his cylinder.  
  
“The door won’t open,” said a modulated female voice from the hallway after a moment.  
  
“Let me try,” said another frustrated voice, this one deeper.  
  
A third said, “Why don’t you two call maintenance. I’m sure they’ll be happy to refresh the door code in a year or two.”  
  
Finn pulled his pulse rifle to firing position, filling up most of the free space in the room.  
  
“Why don’t you call maintenance?” mocked the first trooper, the sarcasm dripping from her voice, “Look, I almost have it. These doors have never worked right.”  
  
The second trooper said, “They can bring maintenance in when this is all over. I just want to get off this stupid station.”  
  
Finn looked at Sinjir, wedged between something and Finn.  
  
Finn heard a click and a whoosh as the door across the way opened.  
  
“Finally,” said the third voice, “I’m too tired to finish the game. You can keep my wager. Three nights running of Chaos drills. I don’t know how he expects us to fight off the New Alliance if we’re running on stims.”  
  
The footsteps resumed then faded before the door slid shut again.  
  
Finn bent down to pick up what was blocking the door. He held it up to Sinjir - a mop.  
  
“Maintenance room?”  
  
The lights inside the room slowly brightened. Panels on one wall were offset with the charging stations for sanitation droids on the other side. Pipes ran from tanks in the corner into the ceiling.  
  
A powerless droid blocked the rest of the room. Sinjir pushed it back near the charging station.  
  
“Definitely maintenance room. What’s that one?” asked Finn, gesturing to the door and across the hallway.  
  
Sinjir was silent for a moment as he activating the console.  
  
“Transient worker dormitory.”  
  
“But this factory was commandeered by the First Order weeks ago,” commented Finn.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“So that where the garrison is bunking.”  
  
“Of course,” said Sinjir, scrolling through screens on the console.  
  
“Huh. What’s the chance of us getting out of here without being spotted now?”  
  
“Not good,” opined Sinjir.  
  
After a moment, the older man added, “Unless they were all dead.”  
  
“What?” said Finn.  
  
Sinjir pointed to the console in front of him, “Atmosphere controls. We could lock their door and vent their room to space. They wouldn’t suffer long. It could turn the tide. Make life for the New Alliance troops that much easier.”  
  
This didn't work for Finn. Stormtroopers were people, not droids, “They would die without a chance to surrender.”  
  
“I’m open to suggestions. Your record doesn’t suggest that you’re squeamish, General.”  
  
“It’s not squeamish. We’re not the First Order. We offer quarter to captured troops. We need to treat them the way we’d want to be treated.”  
  
Sinjir turned his head toward Finn, “The war isn’t over. Until we get those meds, people are dying. They’re complicit.”  
  
“They’re no threat. They’re people doing their job.”  
  
Sinjir's eyes returned to the console, “If they get Kylo Ren back, there’s no telling what kind of damage they can do. You know better than anyone that he’s very strong with the dark side of the Force. Like Vader.”  
  
“They’re not leaders like Vader. They’re grunts like I was. They do what they're told. It's how they're trained. How they're conditioned.”  
  
“You know they would kill you if they had the chance, rebel. They are enemy combatants,” said Sinjir, intentionally using the key phrase in the same whispered monotone that had been drilled into Finn’s head.  
  
The crooning tones had been piped into his ears during every engagement since he wore his first child-sized First Order helmet, immediately followed by a burst of ‘motivational’ gas. The instant euphoric reward the child soldiers had received when an ‘enemy’ was killed was a major part of the PFR training system created by Brendol Hux and improved by his son Armitage Hux.  
  
Strange how he’d forgotten the voices that whispered in his head night and day as a child, allaying his concerns, cajoling him when he had doubts, chastising him when he didn’t do as he was told, guiding him to be the best Stormtrooper he could be. He wondered who he would be if he hadn't been manipulated by those voices.  
  
But here there were no blaster bolts, painful wounds, or fear of instant death to drive his course. He recognized his body’s desire for that euphoric reward, but all he felt was his stomach churning as the decision weighed on him.  
  
Sinjir was silent. Although he wore the leadership pauldron, Sinjir watched and waited as Finn considered his choice.  
  
Finn knew which decision Hux would have expected him to make. The Huxes had controlled his responses since childhood, honed by the pain, fear, reward system – PFR – into a sharp weapon.  
  
But he was no longer First Order.  
  
“That’s what Hux would do. We’re the New Alliance. We’re better than that.”  
  
He knew that he could be a better man than what he had been trained to be.  
  
PFR, thought Finn. Sienar-Jaenus Corporation had partnered with the First Order for years. What was the chance that the workers were exposed to the same training regimen that Stormtroopers were?  
  
“You said this was a worker dorm. Is there Teiron gas?” he asked.  
  
Sinjir checked the screen before him.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
Finn had found his answer. “Knock them out.”  
  
“With the gas?” A hint of a smile carried through the voice modulator.  
  
“Yes. When my primary platoon won our first competition, they introduced a 5% dose into our bunk. We pretty much slept where we fell. They're already exhausted but this'll keep them out of the fight.”  
  
“5%?” asked Sinjir, adjusting the slider.  
  
“Make it 7. We were 8 years old. Let’s make sure they stay out until reinforcements arrive.”  
  
“Done. Good choice, General Finn.”  
  
Finn watched the screen as the troopers inside the bunk fell, one by one, into a deep, happy slumber.  
  
“Give it a minute for that to take hold. We don’t want them opening the door and spreading that gas into the corridor.”  
  
Sinjir turned his helmet to Finn, his face unseen under the mask, “It would have been good if you’d listed that as an asset in the mission briefing.”  
  
“Listed what?”  
  
“Jedi power.”  
  
Finn thought for a moment.  
  
“I’m not a Jedi, at least I don’t think I am. The Dark side and the Light are things that Rey talks about, but for years it was something evil that only Snoke and Kylo Ren knew about.”  
  
“And now?”  
  
“Rey saved us on Crait. We were trapped in a cave with the First Order. She lifted boulders – boulders!“ He gestured with his hands to indicate the size of huge boulders, “with just her mind. That’s when I realized it didn’t have to be evil. Because Rey is the furthest thing from evil.”  
  
“Power in the hands of even the best people can be misused with the best of intentions. It's a slippery slope between using power for good purposes and evil.”  
  
Finn thought about that for a moment, “I know. That kind of power has to be dangerous. I could feel it in Rey.”  
  
“What? You could feel what?”  
  
“When we left Crait, there was something different about Rey. No, I take that back. I had only known her for a day before Kylo Ren took her on Takodana. When she came back, there was something different about her. I thought it was just the torture.”  
  
Sinjir knew torture, “It can change you.”  
  
“But that’s the thing. She said Kylo Ren didn’t torture her. Not the way Poe was tortured. He read her mind.”  
  
“That could be a useful talent. Could you read a trooper's mind if I get one in here?” asked the older man.  
  
“No, no. I barely got the door open. But there was something else. Something familiar. I couldn’t place it at first, but then I realized what it was. Being around her I got this feeling – the same feeling I used to get around Kylo Ren. I thought it was a Force thing, you know?”  
  
“But it wasn’t?” asked Sinjir.  
  
“I don’t think so. I tried to tell her about it but she never wanted to talk to me about it.”  
  
Finn opened the door and looked out on the hallway, checking to see if the coast was clear.  
  
He turned his head to look back at Sinjir, “But now it’s gone. When she came back from Exegol, it was gone. It’s just Rey. And she’s so sad. I can’t figure out why. I know we lost so many people, but we won. She killed the Emperor but she’s not herself. It’s like she’s only half here.”  
  
Finn came back inside and looked at the chrono floating on his HUD.  
  
“We’re going to miss the first evac.”  
  
“It’s an hour until the next one,” offered Sinjir.  
  
“Maybe we can hide back here. Just as long as no maintenance workers show up for first shift.”  
  
Another single set of footsteps came running down the hallway.  
  
“Sounds like a straggler. Is the gas concentration is still high enough to knock them out?  
  
“Let’s see,” said Sinjir, changing the target of the maintenance system, “Wait. That’s not a trooper.”  
  
In the hallway was a figure dressed in a standard-issue First Order green jumpsuit and orange safety vest. A welding helmet covered their head.  
  
“What type of uniform is that?” Sinjir asked.  
  
“Maintenance? No, technician. Hydraulics, Environmental or Radar.”  
  
Sinjir’s modulated voice turned serious, “Probably checking on the door failure. We’re about to get company.”  
  
Sinjir stood flat against the door, blaster drawn.  
  
The door slid open.  
  
The tech saw Finn with his blaster raised.  
  
Before Finn could fire, a lightsaber was drawn, and a brilliant yellow blade rose from it.  
  
“Wait, wait! Rey?” shouted Finn.  
  
“Rey?” asked Sinjir.  
  
The technician took her helmet off. Rey’s smiling face appeared.  
  
“Is that you, Finn?” she asked.  
  
Finn pulled his helmet off.  
  
“Finn! It is you!” cried Rey, “What are you wearing?”  
  
“I’m a stormtrooper.”  
  
“Again.”  
  
“Temporarily. What are you wearing?”  
  
“I’m a Radar Technician.”  
  
“A Rey-dar Technician?”  
  
Rey slaps his armor, “I know a little about Radar.”  
  
Sinjir removed his helmet and cleared his throat.  
  
“Rey, this is Sinjir.”  
  
“Conder’s Sinjir?”  
  
A smug smile crossed Sinjir’s face.  
  
“The real Jedi Rey, I presume? It is a pleasure to meet you, Rey. Sorry to cut short this reunion, but we’re in a bit of a bind. We missed our evac.”  
  
Apparently, it was possible for her smile to get bigger as she said, “I am the evac. I got here early to do some scouting and I was worried when you didn’t show up. I’ve got a shuttle in Bay 11.”  
  
“Great. Let’s go find some medicine!” chuckled Finn.  
  
Rey's com chirped.  
  
"Rey! Come back as fast as you can. Valut's here. The troopers you talked to can't explain why they haven't searched the shuttle," came Rose's voice from the com.  
  
"You brought Rose?" asked Finn.  
  
"She insisted. She's able. . ." said Rey before the com cut her off.  
  
"I'm sorry. He's coming on the shuttle. I'll hide but I'm afraid he'll find me."  
Silence fell.  
  
Finn's smile was replaced with an angry frown, "Do you know how hard I fought to keep her out of danger?"  
  
"She's capable of making her own decisions. We'll discuss this later. Right now, we need to get to Bay 11."  
  



	21. Ahch-To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Contingency has safely passed through Wild Space with the assistance of the Jedi Compass Rey passed to Ben through the Force bond. While repairs are underway, Mira sends Ben and Cresh to the surface for her own mysterious reasons.  
>   
> “Kylo Ren is foolish and prone to the light, and rash like his grandfather before him. He has shown weakness – wounded by an untrained girl. You, Cresh, are my obedient apprentice. You will fulfill my promise of Order to the Galaxy. Obey me, and you will rule it all.”  
>   
> An untrained girl? Finally, a chink in Kylo Ren’s armor. Cresh’s heart beat with joy. Soon he would show the Emperor how strong he really was.  
>   
> “And so, you must have the same scar.”  
>   
> The saber blade cut through his flesh, the blood dripping down onto his black doublet.  
>   
> He turned and walked away. Kylo Ren would not show pain or fear, and neither would Cresh.  
>   
> He most definitely wouldn’t allow tears under the black and chrome mask he wore.  
>   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is still in first draft. I want to have more subtlety with the emotions of Cresh and Ben. This could be 2 chapters but I want to get it out there. There's a 3rd one almost done. Sorry about changing the chapter count. I only have an outline of where this is going.  
> My goal is to 'finish my shit.' I've never completed a multi-chapter story and this is where all the set up starts to come together.  
> Thank you to everyone who's still with me. It's been a long road since December. I hope I can bring a little enjoyment into the world when things are so scary.
> 
> ###  Ahch-To 

Cresh set the Emperor’s shuttle down in a clearing near the water; the burnt out remains of a TIE fighter filled the gap between the rocks and the sea.  
  
Ben looked at it as he reached the bottom of the ramp. There was no question – it had been his TIE Whisper. No other craft looked like it. It was destroyed almost beyond recognition. Soon the elements would sweep the charred wreckage into the sea.  
  
As Supreme Leader, he would just have called up a replacement. It would be faster and sleeker, and he’d gradually tune up the imperfections before submitting a report to the Sienar-Jaemus research team. They would build him another.  
  
A new bespoke craft, tuned for his size and reflexes, already waited for him on the flight deck of the Sienar-Jaemus development station. He’d never fly that fighter. The people of the galaxy would see him dead, most likely, even if Rey vouched for him.  
  
A wisp of recognition like a wandering cloud floated on the edge of Ben’s consciousness. It was fleeting, fragile and unsettlingly familiar but gone before he noticed it.  
  
Mira had sent him and Cresh to Ahch-To’s surface while the crew of the Contingency repaired what they could after their harrowing flight. She didn't say why, but Ben wouldn't say no to the woman who had done so much for him.  
  
Ben’s connection to the force hadn’t fully returned and his body was healing slowly after his clash with the Emperor.  
  
But even untrained toddler Ben would have felt Cresh’s resentment building as they climbed the narrow stone steps that wound up the mountain.  
  
Cresh hadn’t come by choice, and the scowl on his face hadn’t changed since Mira ordered him to accompany Ben. Maybe this was her goal - they needed to work together and Ahch-To would allow them to work out their differences where the crew couldn't see.  
  
The wind that swirled the new Emperor’s black hair brought him the scent of salt, not the choking fumes that had settled in his lungs in Exegol. The sun had broken through the clouds, warming his face as they set their feet on the bottom-most step.  
  
Somewhere on this island was the first Jedi temple. Inside him, the memory of padawan Ben Solo wrung his hands with excitement at the possibilities.  
  
As that same padawan, his master had tasked him with finding any sign of Jedi remaining in hiding since the rise of the Empire. Ben had spent uncounted hours poring through the books and Holocrons Master Skywalker had found, looking for relics or traces.  
  
Master Luke had asked him to study the Jedi Compass the senior Jedi had found in his travels. Ben had excitedly showed Luke how to activate the Jedi Compass just days before the Temple burned, setting it to the location of the First Jedi Temple.  
  
Ben thought Ahch-To’s remoteness made it a likely hiding place for Jedi hiding from the Empire.  
  
He didn’t expect it to be the final home of a hermit Jedi that tried to kill his nephew.  
  
Would it be a suitable prison for a Jedi Padawan who had given in to the Dark Side?  
  
He had done so many horrible things first for Snoke and then as Supreme Leader.  
  
No. Hiding wouldn’t repair the damage he – and the First Order – had caused. He needed to face his guilt of what he had done.  
His studies told him of the Caretakers and their Visitors, the thalasirens and the creatures of the murky deeps. And no visitor who ever came to Ahch-To ever forgot to mention the porgs.  
  
Many of those pudgy multi-colored birds wailed warbling high-pitched cries to their kind as they wheeled in the skies above, buffeted by the stiff breeze that streamed in off the ocean.  
  
His normally strong gait was diminished by the still-healing wounds he’d received at Palpatine’s hands, the trek seemed unending, and they were only halfway up the steps. The sun that had been warm at the base was now obscured by dark clouds that sprawled out to the horizon.  
  
Ben didn’t plan to be here long enough to see the storm lash the island.  
  
The Contingency was still visible above the gathering clouds in the sky above them, the exhausted crew still reeling with joy at the clear space that greeted them after their heart-stopping final jump.  
  
As the ISD had dropped out of lightspeed, the comm station burst to life, bringing news of a galaxy decimated by the machinations of Emperor Palpatine.  
  
Every broadcast contained a list of wanted First Order war criminals. Kylo Ren’s bounty was the highest. Even the most loyal of the Supreme Leader’s followers would be tempted by the astronomical sum.  
  
If Ben had turned around, he knew he would see a familiar scowl on Cresh’s face. The ship’s captain hadn’t taken time to change out of the black jacket and cloak he had worn to rescue the children from the Creche.  
  
The results were shocking to Ben, as he was sure Cresh intended.  
  
A stranger looking at the pair would see them as twins. One, dressed as the Supreme leader of the First Order, the other, Jedi-like in the simple tunic Mira insisted on for the Guardians. Their steps were identical, their stance the same, one face an exact copy of the other, with one exception. Only one bore the scar that was a reminder of a fight that Kylo Ren had inexplicably lost.  
  
~~  
  
Cresh had never been off Exegol. Ahch-To was like nothing he’d ever seen.  
  
Where the island wasn’t rocky, it was green and full of life. Porg families screamed at them from modest nests in the rocks as Cresh and his progenitor passed. Others circled their heads, carefully watching the strangers that had just arrived on their island.  
  
As they climbed the relentless stone steps that skirted the cliffs and meandered their way to the top of the mountain, Cresh’s silent contemplations did nothing to lighten his dark mood.  
  
Once, Emperor Palpatine had promised him that he would rule this galaxy in return for his obedience. Now, nowhere except perhaps this inaccessible place would be safe for him and his brothers.  
  
It was not fair, but life had not been fair to Cresh or his brother clones. For every single one looked like the most wanted man in the galaxy.  
  
No one would believe the man with the unblemished face had once been Kylo Ren; that the scarred man was innocent of all the wrongs committed by the other.  
  
And that wasn’t all that fate had thrown at them.  
  
They were free of Exegol, but they were not free. The Final Order remained.  
  
Shortly before they had arrived at Ahch-To, the Final Order comm channel aboard the Contingency had come to life, demanding identification.  
  
A quick-thinking ensign had shushed the signal with a burst of static, but no one believed the sender was fooled.  
  
Another Final Order ship, manned by a crew loyal to the old Emperor, survived.  
  
The crew of that ship now knew that the Contingency had survived the journey through Wild Space.  
  
And she, far from mended from her haphazard journey, was in no shape to fight an undamaged sister ship. They would be lucky to limp their way to the shipyards of Corellia for repairs.  
  
Solo stopped abruptly at a plateau.  
  
“Look,” he said, pointing at the end of the clearing.  
  
They stood in a valley in the crook of the peaks, staring down at the burnt stump of an enormous tree.  
  
Broken from his thoughts, he now heard something else above the whistling wind and melancholy birds. A song of sorrow and loss flittered on the edge of his mind, unsettling him.  
  
Cresh asked, “What happened here?”  
  
Solo answered, “I’m not sure,” and walked toward the burnt stump. He sifted his hands through the ashes.  
  
“It has to be The Tree, but it’s gone.”  
  
“The Tree?” Cresh asked.  
  
“One of the Jedi legends. A tree that was already old when the Jedi arrived to establish their first Temple. It represented the balance of the force - branches in the light, roots in the dark.”  
  
He responded as if he were answering his Master, Emperor Palpatine rather than his progenitor, “Gone like the Jedi themselves. Burned to the ground leaving only rubble behind.”  
  
Solo picked up a stick and began to dig harder. Cresh scoffed. The most powerful force user in the galaxy using a stick to dig when he could use the force. This wasn’t that unusual, he thought on reflection. The new Emperor also used his fists in a fight even when a saber was available.  
  
“Do you feel that?” asked Cresh.  
  
Solo looked up at the sky, before picking up the speed of his quest, “The barometric pressure is dropping. The storm will be here sooner than expected. We should go.”  
  
“No. There’s something under the island.”  
  
Solo continued to dig in the ashes, but explained, “Ahch-To stands on a vergence in the Force. It is a place of both powerful light and powerful darkness. The destruction of the Tree has left the Force out of balance.”  
  
Solo’s voice faded, his words forgotten, as his attention was drawn by something he had unearthed. He turned back to pull something from under the char, mesmerized by whatever it was.  
  
Cresh felt it again, a sensation like a rope tied to his backbone, a burning like fire on a cold day, the sensation he’d been trained to search for his entire life. It wanted to drag him away toward he didn’t know what. Darkness.  
  
“Solo. I’m going to check on it.”  
  
Solo said nothing, his face in rapt attention on whatever he held in his hand.  
  
“Solo.”  
  
No response.  
  
The tug was too much. Cresh abandoned his assignment. There was nothing here except those irritating birds. Solo could handle whatever the island could dish out.  
  
Cresh needed to find this power that called to him. Now.  
  
Whatever was here was for him, not for Solo. For once, he wasn’t the inferior copy, maimed to match the original.  
  
Beyond the cliff lay the ocean, and between it a cleft in the rocks. In the center was a circle, rimmed with seaweed and salt, filled with darkness.  
  
The power dragged him forward, propelling him down the cliff face to the place that beckoned to him, descending into the chasm with a trained leap. The damp walls rang with the sound of his landing.  
  
His fingers tingled, itching to touch the crystalline mirror that glowed in the gloom.  
  
It sparked as he reached out to it, a glow rolling down his fingers to his shoulder before taking him over like a blaster bolt.  
  
A hollow thud rang through the cavern as Solo found him. Cresh’s irritation at the Emperor of Nothing’s interference with his mission increased. Why did he have to follow him here?  
  
It no longer mattered as he heard a voice from his past, the voice of his master.  
  
Solo shouted at him, mouthing words that Cresh no longer heard. He tried to shake him off, but Solo’s hand grasped his shoulder firmly.  
  
Cresh’s vision faded. Silence wrapped around him as the sounds of the island faded into oblivion. All that he could see was the world on the other side of the mirror.  
  
It felt like a memory, but it wasn’t his. It was Solo’s.  
  
_There was darkness, fear and shadows before a voice, drippingly sweet, pitched for the ears of a child, whispered, “I’m sure it was a terrible nightmare. Why don’t you call your mother? What? Your parents aren’t there? They’ve left you alone with the droids again? What could be so special that they couldn’t take you along, Ben? It must be so sad to be alone. You know I will always be here for you.”  
_  
The gravelly voice faded, and the darkness faded up to bright arena lights.  
  
A boy walked slowly; arms glued to his sides; his eyes downcast in shame. He stood only half the height of the red armored troopers that escorted him back to the arena.  
  
This was his own memory, of the early days of his training. He looked out of the eyes of his child self, at the wrinkled old man who hung from the harness that kept his body alive. The relic’s sandpaper voice wheezed as the machines supporting his vital functions ebbed and flowed. But Cresh knew the body was a lie. Under the surface was a vital dark power that it would be a fatal mistake to misjudge.  
  
The Emperor. His Emperor. His Master.  
  
“Why did you run, young Cresh?” he asked, his corrupted eyes staring blankly at the dark-haired gangly child.  
  
“Imperator,” he said as he bowed contritely. He had already learned to answer honestly or face the consequences. The Emperor always knew when he lied, and his life depended making the Emperor happy. “I have to bring Auri to you.”  
  
“Aurek is gone. He disobeyed. He would never be good enough.”  
  
Gone. The warning had been given before. He knew he’d never see his brother again.  
  
“Then I’ll find Besh. He’ll do what you want.”  
  
“Your brother Besh is too soft. He will never be strong enough to do what must be done. If only he were capable as you are, my boy. You show promise. If you continue down this path, perhaps you will one day be strong enough to be my apprentice.”  
  
The boy looked down, his dark hair falling over his face.  
  
“Thank you, Imperator.”  
  
_The voice from Solo’s nightmare reappeared, “Your master thinks of you as a child. One day he will realize your true capabilities.”_  
  
The mop of hair lifted. He was now older, a fresh welt raising across his cheek, a training saber in his hand. Before him stood his instructor, a woman dressed in black, her sleek mask glinting in the arena lights, her saber held ready to strike.  
  
His focus was drawn to the dais, where a man who looked like the Snoke clones spoke to the Emperor.  
  
“The resemblance is accurate, but the movements are incorrect.”  
  
The voice. The one that spoke to Solo, only now he spoke to the Emperor.  
  
“This clone is Cresh,” said the Emperor, raising his voice so the boy would be sure to hear, “I find it poetic that the grandson of Vader would become my apprentice, when his son would not. I believe he can be even greater than his grandfather.”  
  
“If I may suggest, let hair should grow longer. His progenitor is lax with his appearance.”  
  
“Ah, noted.”  
  
Cresh’s saber nearly hit his instructor’s arm, but she parried and returned the blow, holding his saber locked with his. Her voice was tight under the voice modulation, “More care should be taken, Cresh. An enemy would not be as forgiving as I am.”  
  
“Yes, Tenth Sister,” the boy replied.  
  
The Emperor’s voice returned to its normal level but was still audible throughout the stadium.  
  
“Skywalker is beginning to suspect.”  
  
“The time is near. Let him see. Pull back the veil and show him the darkness. It will be his undoing.”  
  
_“Ben, my boy. This must be some mistake. Surely, they would have trusted you with this important information. You’ll forgive me if I don’t agree, however. There is no shame in this news. Quite the opposite. Darth Vader was a very powerful man, with a powerful master. Underestimating Darth Vader was a mistake that none made without consequences. To be the grandchild of such a man . . . it is an honor.”_  
  
“You are identical – a perfect clone unlike Aurek or Besh. Yet, look how much stronger your progenitor is. Your sympathy keeps you from meeting your potential. It is your greatest weakness.”  
  
_“If I had your uncle by my side instead of you, the galaxy would have been mine a long time ago.”  
_  
“You have seen the holos. You have trained in mimicking his mannerisms. You are a better student than he ever was. Your time is near.”  
  
Cresh, now a man due to the accelerated aging, was dressed in a dark gray arming jacket, a quarter cloak on his shoulder, a red lightsaber in his hand. He turned back at the beckoning of his Emperor. Before him were Sith trainees, skilled with their weapons, but no match for the man who would be the Emperor’s Apprentice.  
  
“They were in your grasp. Kylo Ren would have killed them without a second thought. You must commit in battle. Show no mercy, give no quarter. Ah, that’s more like it. Strike now, my young apprentice. Strike now.”  
  
The monster they wanted him to be now had a name. Kylo Ren, a man skilled enough to kill a Zillo beast.  
  
_An echo rumbled through the air, “You will never be as strong as Darth Vader.”  
_  
“Buried in there somewhere is the heart of a true Sith. Your blood is the blood of Vader, unsullied as his is by the influence of Leia Organa or Han Solo. Give in to your nature. Feel the power of the Dark Side. Try again.”  
  
_“Raw, untamed power. The promise of your bloodline. A new Vader.”_  
  
Cresh was thrown backwards onto the ground by a bolt of force lighting.  
  
“You have his power, his potential. But you’re too weak to fulfill your destiny. Perhaps one of your younger brothers will succeed where you failed.”  
  
_“You are just a child in a mask.”_  
  
“Kylo Ren is foolish and prone to the light, and rash like his grandfather before him. He has shown weakness – wounded by an untrained girl. You, Cresh, are my obedient apprentice. You will fulfill my promise of Order to the Galaxy. Obey me, and you will rule it all.”  
  
An untrained girl? Finally, a chink in Kylo Ren’s armor. Cresh’s heart beat with joy. Soon he would show the Emperor how strong he really was.  
  
“And so, you must have the same scar.”  
  
The saber blade cut through his flesh, the blood dripping down onto his black doublet.  
  
He turned and walked away. Kylo Ren would not show pain or fear, and neither would Cresh.  
  
He most definitely wouldn’t allow tears under the black and chrome mask he wore.  
  
The Tenth Sister met him in the infirmary, “You are better than this, you know,” she said, out of turn, “Worthy of more than pretending to be someone you are not.”  
  
“Who are you to talk to me like this? Shut up, old woman!” he railed, angry tears threatening to spill over his eyelashes.  
  
This woman, who in the Emperor’s presence was his loyal servant, in secret treated Cresh and his brothers like the mother they never had.  
  
“I can’t fix the wound, but I can take away your pain. At least the physical pain. The rest will need time.”  
  
“What are you talking about?”  
  
“I can help you. Do you want a life better than this?” she said, removing her helmet, exposing the dark, eyeless face she showed only to him.  
  
“I am the Emperor’s chosen apprentice. There is no life better than this,” he said as the medical droid applied a bandage to pull together the lips of the wound.  
  
“Unless you really want to live. You need to get out of here before he sends you to replace Kylo Ren.”  
  
“Did you hear what I said? I will kill Kylo Ren and take his place. If I don’t, the Emperor will hurt my brothers.”  
  
“I can get you out of here.”  
  
“You are the Emperor’s Inquisitor but you’re talking treason. I should kill you.”  
  
“I’d like to see you try,” she asserted.  
  
“Do you think that Kylo Ren would show you mercy? Neither would I.”  
  
“Cresh, I feel the conflict in you. I’ll help you. You know the Emperor is only using you. There is more in life than what scraps the Emperor is willing to give you.”  
  
The droid left, its mission complete.  
  
“Do you think that I care for the power he offers me? I know that even if I rule the galaxy, it is at his whim. That’s not what this is all about. I can’t leave Cherek, Dorn, Esk and the little ones behind. He’ll just find another one and give him this scar.”  
  
“Then we’ll just have to take them all,” she said, as if she were talking of a picnic.  
  
“We’re all hostages. You’re just as much his servant as I am. I will do what he says.”  
  
_“Ben, I feel the conflict in you. I’ll help you.”_  
  
“He has brought Cherek to the arena, Cresh. Even if you become Kylo Ren, who do you think he will use to replace you? He will force your brother to kill you, or you to kill your brother. And then another, and another.”  
  
Cresh paused in thought, “Okay. What do I need to do?”  
  
_“My faith in you is restored, my good and faithful apprentice.”_  
  
“We couldn’t save Cherek. The rest are on board. The Contingency will not lift with the other ships. Donal dismantled the beacon.”  
  
“When do we leave?”  
  
“We wait for a sign. Until then, we stay put. Training begins in the morning.”  
  
_“And so, as I once fell, so falls the last Skywalker.”_  
  
“We have to save him,” stated the Tenth Sister, now known as Mira to the children aboard the Contingency. “Now that the Emperor is dead, he’s our only hope to leave.”  
  
“He knows the way through Wild Space,” said Donal.  
  
“I will not save Kylo Ren.”  
  
“He’s no more Kylo Ren than you are.”  
  
“He will always be Kylo Ren. Because of him Auri and Besh are dead and Cherek is lost. I won’t kill him as long as he’s on the ship, but I won’t go out of my way to save him.”  
  
“Then stay here. I’ll take Binza. We’ll bring him back to the Contingency.”  
  
The mirror wall shivered, and the Emperor’s voice faded but the darkness grew.  
  
These were his memories, full of the power of darkness. Anger festered in Cresh’s mind. He wouldn't spend the rest of his life as a bodydouble to a man so wanted he'd never walk freely. If he was Emperor, the galaxy would bow to him.  
  
More than a thought; less than a whisper came the reply - the First Order was in ruins, a ship without a rudder. They desired leadership. They would welcome back Kylo Ren with open arms. With Cresh in command, the First Order would rise stronger than before. There had to be loyal officers and troopers who he could use as the seed for his new order, one where his generals could be trusted because they were his own brothers. With their might behind him, they would never have to hide again.  
  
  
Satisfied, the darkness released him, throwing him and his unwanted companion to the floor of the cave.

  



	22. The Cave on Ahch-To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Cresh have seen each other's childhoods. Will this make them closer together or further apart?  
>   
> Here's your answer:  
>   
>   
> They’d need to get back to the shuttle before the light drizzle turned into a squall. The slick cave walls would be impassible once it settled into a steady downpour.  
>   
> A reddish glow drew his attention to the mirror wall as the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber ignition drew his attention up to where Cresh was now standing over him with his lightsaber, ready to strike.  
>   
> This was no memory, no dream.  
>   
> Cresh’s face grimaced in anger.  
>   
> Ben’s saber was out of reach, crushed between him and the floor. He would not be able to draw it in time to ward off the blow.  
>   
> Reaching out with the force, he tried to slow Cresh’s movements. He failed.  
>   
> His light side training was years in the past, and he dared not use the dark because it wanted him back.  
>   
> Desperately.  
>   
> 

The vision faded, but the impressions of Cresh’s childhood – if it could be called that – on Exegol would not soon be forgotten.  
  
Kylo Ren wouldn’t have cared.  
  
It explained why Cresh had been so distant while the other clones like Jenth had been welcoming. With Palpatine dead, Cresh’s rage had transferred to Ben.  
  
Ben Solo’s heart ached for the little boy whose childhood was stolen by Palpatine just like his own. Little Cresh had been as lonely as little Ben or little Rey, held hostage by the responsibility imposed on him by Palpatine for his clone brothers. It was a burden no child should have to bear.  
  
Maybe this was why the Force abandoned him on Exegol. The clones and stolen children needed protection, shelter, and care. It was the kind of thing royalty was supposed to do.  
  
Royalty like a Prince of Alderaan.  
  
He leaned into that thought for a moment as his body recovered from the mental lashing of the vision.  
  
It sounded like something his mother would have said.  
  
But she was gone.  
  
Grief struck him from out of the blue.  
  
“But what she stood, what she fought for, that’s not gone,” answered the memory of his father.  
  
He opened his eyes to a cave that was now shrouded in a more natural darkness. Slow pellets of rain fell into the nearby pool as the saturated clouds shed their first drops. Ben knew that this was just the beginning of the storm. The typhoon’s path had been very clear from space. They’d been here too long already.  
  
They’d need to get back to the shuttle before the light drizzle turned into a squall. The slick cave walls would be impassible once it settled into a steady downpour.  
  
A reddish glow drew his attention to the mirror wall as the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber ignition drew his attention up to where Cresh was now standing over him with his lightsaber, ready to strike.  
  
This was no memory, no dream.  
  
Cresh’s face grimaced in anger.  
  
Ben’s saber was out of reach, crushed between him and the floor. He would not be able to draw it in time to ward off the blow.  
  
Reaching out with the force, he tried to slow Cresh’s movements. He failed.  
  
His light side training was years in the past, and he dared not use the dark because it wanted him back.  
  
Desperately.  
  
The darkness was smothering, offering him the power he’d known before.  
  
It would be so easy, it cajoled. It told him he was stronger, more well trained than this replica.  
  
But Ben knew better. The man who faced him was at peak form, unhindered by healing wounds, and drew his strength from this seemingly unending pool of darkness.  
  
Cresh knew his every move. The odds were against him.  
  
Don’t tell me the odds, his father would have said.  
  
A smile crossed his lips.  
  
He’d find another way.  
  
The Force showed him where the blade would land, and he knew what he needed to do. He rolled to the side as the red blade sizzled on the moss that coated the floor.  
  
In the same rolling motion, he sprang to his feet, drawing his saber and lighting it as Cresh’s blade swung in a backhanded blow that would have killed anyone but the man who perfected the move.  
  
He had no time to contemplate the image in the mirror – an outsider would have seen Kylo Ren battling a Jedi, a reflection of the battle he’d fought in his own head since the night Luke’s temple burned.  
  
Their sabers locked, both struggling against an equal, red blade versus blue.  
  
Through gritted teeth, Ben said, “Resist it, Cresh. I know it’s offering you a way to save your brothers. You don’t need it - I’ll help you.”  
  
Cresh continued to rain blows on Ben’s defenses. Ben blocked but didn’t advance.  
  
The slick surface of the cave offered little purchase to the duelists.  
  
“You want to help us, Emperor of Nothing? What can you offer? You’re a wanted man. You have no friends, no resources. The price on your head would feed, house and clothe us all for years to come.”  
  
Ben staggered. Even using purely defensive strategies, his arms ached with the strain.  
  
And through it all, the dark patiently offered him strength.  
  
Cresh finally spoke, his voice resonant with hatred, “Your power came from the dark. I hear it whispering to you. It is to my benefit that you are a fool to reject it. You have no allies in the light. The Jedi abandoned you on Exegol. They won’t stand with you now.”  
  
“I have Rey.”  
  
“One Jedi. Barely trained, compromised by her affection for you. Do you think that the New Alliance government will grant a stay of your execution on her behalf?”  
  
He spun away, red saber arcing, returning to on-guard position.  
  
The soothing tones of his uncle and Master seemed to rise from his memories.  
  
“Breathe, Ben. The light welcomes you home. Hear it call to you. Feel it.”  
  
Once, the memory of Luke should have sent a shiver of fear to his core but buried in Cresh’s memories was a revelation.  
  
Master Luke Skywalker was not the legendary Jedi Ben and the galaxy had known. Now Ben knew that Luke’s moment of weakness had been a manipulation of Snoke and Palpatine. Forgiveness would take time, but the fear that defeated Supreme Leader Kylo Ren on Crait was gone.  
  
He centered himself and called on the Force.  
  
Ben felt the cool peace of the light wash over him as he appealed to his clone, “Darkness only shows you absolutes. We’ll find another way.”  
  
“This is the only way, Solo,” grunted Cresh, “You abdicated. The galaxy needs Kylo Ren. Under my leadership, the First Order will be restored, stronger than before, without the shadow of your mother’s compassion or your father’s soft heart.”  
  
Ben’s voice rumbled as he pulled deep in his soul to extend a wave of peace and hope to Cresh, “Kylo Ren would have killed you all if he had known. I feel compassion for you and your brothers, not anger.”  
  
“You feel sorry for us because we look like you, nothing more,” said Cresh, spinning his blade before attacking again.  
  
“That’s not true,” countered Ben as he guided the blow safely away.  
  
“Do you care about the ones that don’t look like you, then? The stormtroopers who gave up their childhoods, only to die on a battlefield, or worse, give up their souls for the machine of your creation?”  
  
“I didn’t make the machine.”  
  
“You didn’t fight it, either.”  
  
Ben pulled his blade as it cut close to Cresh’s neck, “Snoke held the same saber over my head that Palpatine held over yours. The consequences of disloyalty were understood. You would have done the same in my place.”  
  
The tactic was familiar. Keep your opponent talking until they got distracted - until they made a fatal misstep.  
  
The vegetation squelched under his boots as he slid to the side to avoid Cresh’s blow.  
  
“So yes, it is true, but I hope to make up for it if I can."  
  
“But not if I kill you first.”  
  
“You may try. I doubt Mira would approve.”  
  
“I don’t need her approval.”  
  
“But you seek it out.”  
  
“She is not my Master. My Master is gone. He gave me the tools I need to become what I am meant to be.”  
  
“And Mira means nothing to you.”  
  
“She pretended to be Palpatine’s dog for years so she could save me and my brothers. Her reward is to be my trusted right hand.”  
  
“You don’t truly know her, do you?” asked Ben, guiding Cresh slowly away from the mirror wall. On the wall beyond the pool was an outcropping of rock where Ben could take the high ground. It might give him the advantage he needed to get Cresh away from the darkness that permeated the very air of the cave. Getting Cresh out of the cave would be the key to getting them back to the ship intact.  
  
Cresh followed cautiously, “I know her better than anyone. She’d trained me since I was a child.”  
  
“You think you do. You have taken what she’s given you. but you’ve never given her anything in return. This is your chance,” offered Ben.  
  
“You are so selfish. You would use my respect for Mira to save your own life?” he grunted as he pushed a fresh attack on Ben’s position.  
  
“Do you recognize the mask she wears?” asked Ben.  
  
Cresh is silent.  
  
“Ah, you don’t, do you? Master Luke encouraged me to study the other force-sensitive peoples of the galaxy. Her mask is more than a decoration. It is a sign of rank, of respect. Gifted only to those who forsake all other paths in dedication to the living Force. She is a High Sene of the Miralukan Luka Sene. They are tasked with returning those who turn to the dark back to the light, no matter the cost. She came for you, and for your brothers, to guide you to the light you’d otherwise never know. She will never bow to the dark.”  
  
Cresh twirled his saber, gaining momentum as the weapon circled. He pressed Ben back toward the pool, rather than the outcropping.  
A fresh wave of hatred rolled from him. Cresh hadn’t considered that Mira might not follow him.  
  
“You deserve to die. You don’t get it, do you? Every deed you’ve done is a sin we need to atone for. None of us will ever be able to walk this galaxy without a mask, without looking over our shoulders, without a bounty hunter waiting to take us in for your crimes. And you know what? When that happens – and it will happen – they will kill whoever they find because we are you,” said Cresh.  
  
Ben leapt over Cresh’s head, landing on the outcropping.  
  
Cresh turned toward Ben, “I’d be a better Supreme Leader than you were. I had no parents to make me weak.”  
  
Ben looked down at Cresh and twirled his saber. The smug Solo smile crossed his lips.  
  
“Huh. It’s hard to believe that someone could be a worse Kylo Ren, but if anyone could do it, it would be you.”  
  
“I do what I have to do to save my brothers. I will reshape the galaxy into a place where we can live free. You will only get in my way.”  
  
Ben said, “You’re going to have to kill me, then.”  
  
“It’s what I’ve been training for my whole life. Nothing would make me happier.”  
  
“You’re the brother I never had. Don’t do this.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter. The universe is better off without you.”  
  
Ben felt his spirit sink. He might be right about that.  
  
He felt the spirit of his mother strengthen him. “You’re not nothing, not to me. You’re Ben Solo, and you’re my son.”  
  
With a final twist of his saber, Ben disarmed Cresh, sending both sabers flying beyond the pool.  
  
“We can put this behind us, Cresh. This is not how you really feel. The cave is affecting you. Come with me. We’ll work on it together,” said Ben.  
  
Cresh pulled out the silver blaster.  
  
Ben looked down at him, “That blaster belongs to me.”  
  
“Not anymore, Solo,” he said, his fury no longer contained, “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you as long as you were on the ship.”  
  
Cresh shrugged. It reminded Ben eerily of his father.  
  
“We’re no longer on the ship,” Cresh continued.  
  
“I have everything I need - the First Order Alpha priority codes, your face, and your genetic template. You are redundant.”  
  
”We’re not the same,” refuted Ben.  
  
“That’s right. You don’t have Kylo Ren’s scar.”  
  
Cresh raised the blaster at Solo.  
  
The circular blast took Solo into the pool.  
  
“Kriff,” said Cresh, “Why is this useless antique on stun?”  
  
He wrestled with the fancy mechanism, trying to reset the power level, waiting for Ben to rise to the surface of the water.  
  
Mira’s voice crackled over the com, “Cresh, everything okay down there?”  
  
“Yeah, we’re fine,” he lied.  
  
“Good. Get Solo to the shuttle now. The preflight check on the Contingency just kicked on by itself. The other ship has found our remote code. We can’t stop it. It’s going to launch.”  
  
Cresh looked for Solo in the pool one final time, then turned to the rocks behind him to begin the climb.  
  
“We’ll be right there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is still first-draft level. If it was complete, there would be more show than tell, and the ending wouldn't violate the POV.  
> I suck at describing fights, too. But I hope it all make sense.


	23. An Island in a Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben pulled his sodden boots from his feet, placing them upside-down to drain by the fire.  
>   
> His hands smarted with cold as he stretched them out to the crackling heat.  
>   
> He’d have to take off the pants, too. They were just as soaked as his tunics. He could feel the heat draining from his thighs. He reached for the fasteners but stopped still as a gentle voice cracked the quiet of the hut.  
>   
> “Hey, kid. Told you I’d see you around.”  
>   
>   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter than I usually post but you should have seen the original! Now I have to have a Luke and Ben chapter.  
> By the way, there are not many pieces of wood large enough to make a door on Ahch-To. The Lannai are not above using a sacred tree to fix what Rey took with her on her last trip.

Ben’s lungs burned with a singular desire for air. His heavy Jedi tunics, saturated with murky water, dragged him down to the bottom of the pool.  
  
Using his last oxygen, he kicked his way up. His gasping breaths echoed loudly through the cavern as his head broke the surface.  
  
Pulling himself up quickly, he crouched to make himself a smaller target, scanning the cave with both his eyes and the Force.  
  
He was alone. Alone except for the continuing whisper of the dark. It called Cresh a coward, goading Ben to take his revenge.  
  
Ben did his best to ignore the prattle of the dark.  
  
Fighting the cold was going to be enough of a battle.  
  
The skin on his chest stung, icy hot. Under his tunic was undoubtedly a rapidly spreading bruise, the mark of the blaster hit. The antique weapon’s power cell needed to be replaced and the shot that should have been fatal was just painful. He had fallen off the slick rocks into the pool, tumbling bonelessly into the water. He’d lost precious seconds of air as his limbs recovered their autonomy.  
  
His father would have called it luck, but he knew better.  
  
He scanned the cave for the sabers. The red one was gone, probably called by Cresh before he mounted the rugged stairway up to the surface.  
  
Not far away, a twinkle of silver in the darkness caught his eye. It was the blaster Uncle Lando had left for him, the one responsible for the tingling that radiated from his sternum out to his pectorals.  
  
Cresh had thrown it away like garbage, but Ben knew its true worth. He would replace the power cell when he got back to the ship.  
  
Water dripped in his eyes. Standing with his shoulders hunched forward to keep his tunic away from the pricking skin, he worked his way over the dark slippery rocks to the blaster. Just beyond the blaster was the saber he had borrowed from Mira’s training stock.  
  
He called it with his right hand as he picked up the blaster with his left.  
  
He stashed the blaster under his obi and hung the saber from its loop. He was sore, tired, and cold but no longer defenseless.  
  
He wasted no more time, shuffling to the rock wall that acted as a rudimentary stairway. If he stayed any longer, he’d be stuck here as the rain surged.  
  
He hoped he’d never have to set foot in this cave again. Darkness clung to him like the mud during the rainy season at Luke’s temple.  
  
It offered him everything he ever wanted – power, adoration, acceptance – but it couldn’t give him the one thing he wanted most of all – Rey’s love. He’d offered her everything the dark had given him, and she’d rejected him. Now he understood why, and he could never go back to the dark again. Not if it cost him Rey.  
  
The temperature dropped rapidly as he reached the surface. The wind whipped around the basin of the cave entrance, chilling him further.  
  
Ahead was the rocky stairway that lead back to the base of the island. The path wound up to a juncture before it headed down again to the landing.  
  
Already wet through from his immersion, he shivered uncontrollably as sheets of icy rain passed over him. The rain squall pelted him in his sodden Jedi tunic as it reduced visibility to near zero.  
  
What he wouldn’t give for a poncho right now. His boot squelched as he carefully picked his way down the path, using the force to choose solid footings. A stream of water barreled past, eventually cascading off the cliffs onto the rocky shoreline far below.  
  
He no longer had the power of rage. Instead, he reached inside, gathering the Force to him with a basic skill he’d learned at Luke’s temple, kindling a warming fire in his chest to stave off a undeniable chill.  
  
His skills were rusty, but for now the warmth that filled him would suffice.  
  
It wasn’t enough to stop his jaw from chattering or his arms from shaking.  
  
The band of rain lightened as he reached the midway point, showing him flare of the engines as the shuttle lifted.  
  
Abandoned. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about Cresh ambushing him.  
  
The torrent increased as the water shed from the top. His steps slowed as the water pulled at his ankles, threatening to send him plunging down the mountain and out to sea.  
  
He reached into his pouch with numb fingers and pulled out the com. Raising it in front of his eyes, the tell-tale light that indicated charge was dim. Not enough to call across the island, never mind out to space.  
  
He had checked it before they left – it was standard landing party procedure too important to delegate even when he was Supreme Leader.  
  
Especially when he was Supreme Leader.  
  
Either it malfunctioned or Cresh tampered with it.  
  
It didn’t matter. He was alive, and Mira would send a search party when she found out he wasn’t aboard the shuttle.  
  
An unexpected gust of wind combined with an increase in the velocity of the temporary stream made him miss his step. His foot came down sideways a rock, twisting him sideways, sending him tumbling down the trail. Somewhere in his attempt to remain upright, he dropped the com. It floated away.  
  
The flood churned dark with mud and white with foam, buffeting him along its course, throwing him brutally into the boulders that lined the way.  
  
He found himself muddy, bloody, and sore on a grassy landing. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating a settlement of rough huts before plunging it back into darkness again.  
  
At least the chill soothed the buzzing sting of the blaster bruise.  
  
A wall of rain appeared on the horizon, rolling across the landscape, heading directly for the structures. They were sturdy huts made of thick-walled stone, designed to withstand the gale-force winds and punishing rain that were apparently a regular occurrence on the island.  
  
Any shelter in a storm, he thought.  
  
He reached the door of the nearest hut, searching with the Force but finding nothing more advanced than a nest of sea birds taking shelter in a nook nearby.  
  
All the huts looked the same, but there was something familiar about this one. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside, he saw it was barren. There was no furniture and the windows, though deep, let in the wind and rain. There was an indentation on the floor where he could imagine a warm fire, but there was nothing to burn. On a bumpy stone bench opposite the window, he found a coarsely woven blanket, neatly folded.  
  
It looked like the blanket Rey had been wearing during their force bond, just before Luke destroyed the hut. He picked it up and held it close.  
  
A door caught in the wind slammed repeatedly across the way.  
  
Somewhere in his cold-addled brain he realized that a hut with a door would be warmer than this.  
  
He tucked the blanket under his arm before he lifted the ancient oilskin door and dashed across the way.  
  
Turning in the entryway, he looked up to see the Contingency through a breach in the clouds. It lifted out of the atmosphere before jumping to lightspeed.  
  
So much for a rescue party.  
  
A rumble of thunder rolled over the landscape as he ducked inside and slid the bolt closed, securing the door against the rising wind.  
  
Embers glowed dimly on the hearth that sat across the room from the door.  
  
He still felt no sign of an occupant, but he’d apologize later for his intrusion.  
  
The fire provided little light. A small oil lamp sat on wooden table next to a simple cot. He placed the blanket on the bed before taking a small stick from a box of wood at the fireside. Kindling the stick in the embers, he lit the wick.  
  
Its humble light illuminated a small but neatly furnished room. An oilskin poncho hung on a peg by the door, the cot near the fire was neatly made. On the walls are shelves filled with the rudiments of daily living – bottles and plates, tools and trinkets, clothing and sundry.  
  
And on a shelf near the bed were the unusual – a crushed holocron, a Jedi tool kit, and a carving that, with a generous eye, could be that of a Wookiee.  
  
He picked up the carving, recognizing it instantly.  
  
He had made it for Luke the first week he’d arrived at the temple.  
  
His heart raced. This was Luke’s hut.  
  
Why would Luke have kept the carving for all these years?  
  
He put it back on its shelf and walked toward the fireplace.  
  
He’d worry about it later. He needed to get dry and warm before he got sick.  
  
He added a few pieces of wood to the embers and used the poker to roll them closer to the embers.  
He then stripped his freezing cold obi, tunics, and sash. They dripped on the floor as he hung them on convenient hooks near the fire.  
  
He placed the blaster, the saber and his pouch on the mantle before he ran his cold-numbed fingers through his hair to help it dry. The pouch fell open, spilling its contents. Nothing fell on the floor, so he’d worry about sorting it later.  
  
Ben pulled his sodden boots from his feet, placing them upside-down to drain by the fire.  
  
His hands smarted with cold as he stretched them out to the crackling heat.  
  
He’d have to take off the pants, too. They were just as soaked as his tunics. He could feel the heat draining from his thighs. He reached for the fasteners but stopped still as a gentle voice cracked the quiet of the hut.  
  
“Hey, kid. Told you I’d see you around.”  
  
He turned quickly to see a figure accented in a blue aura behind him. Before he even knew he’d done it, the blue training saber was in his hand and lit it.  
  
“Luke,” he whispered.  
  
His courage rising, he said, ”How old you’ve become.”  
  
The Force ghost appraised Ben, “Not ‘you’re dead?’ ”  
  
"Lesson 23: Advanced Jedi techniques: Force ‘Ghosts.’ I was 12.”  
  
“You remember that? You always were my best student.”  
  
“I always had nightmares. They got worse that night. Ben Kenobi came to take me to be one with the Force.”  
  
“You never told me that.”  
  
“Snoke got to me first. He told me you’d think I was weak. I should have noticed that he showed up just when the nightmares came back.”  
  
Luke changed the subject, “Pretty bad blaster shot you’ve got there.”  
  
Ben reached for his tunic, “I don’t have the patience for small talk. I’m leaving.”  
  
“I think even the Lanai would agree this is one of the worst storms in years. It’s gonna be a messy slide down the hill, though it looks like you already know that. Why don’t you stay a while?”  
  
“I’d rather not be here with you.”  
  
“Have a look for yourself,” Luke said.  
  
Ben unbolted the door and looked out. Sheets of freezing torrential rain pelted the central courtyard.  
  
“You’re half-frozen already,” Luke called, “The inconvenience of dealing with me will be less than dealing with the typhoon. Your shuttle’s gone. Rey burned your ship. Master Yoda burned the Tree. The cave? I don’t recommend it. The Lannai will only send you back here. You’ve got nowhere else to go. You might as well make yourself at home.”  
  
“I get it. My options are limited. Can I trust you not to pull the hut down around my head again?”  
  
“I won’t pull the hut down again,” Luke promised, chuckling dryly, “I wouldn’t want to displease Mother Alicida-Auka like that again. If I’d survived the night, I’m sure she would have revoked my privileges for my transgression.”  
  
“Mother Alicia-Auka?”  
  
“The head Caretaker. She’s a force of nature. You’d best keep that in mind.”  
  
“You? The legendary Master Luke Skywalker, are afraid of someone?”  
  
Ben’s words were somewhere between angry and sarcastic.  
  
Luke’s face contorted in an amicable smile, “I wouldn’t say afraid. Let’s call it deferential.”  
  
The Force ghost walked to the shelf where Ben had just put the carving back down.  
  
Ben followed his late uncle with his eyes, keeping the saber pointed toward the visitor, his shoulders tense.  
  
“You found the carving. That night. . .” Luke said, studying the wooden doll that stood at eye level, “The night the Temple burned. I was gathering my things and there it was. I remembered the day you made it for me. The day your mother trusted me with you.”  
  
The corners of Luke’s eyes crinkled.  
  
“I only felt my own loss until I saw the carving. I’d made a horrible, horrible mistake. I’d hurt my own nephew because of my rash judgment. You were so scared, so lonely. And yet I couldn’t bring myself to face you. I brought that with me as a reminder of what I’d done.”  
  
Ben’s voice rumbled in the silence, “Who are you and what have you done with Master Luke Skywalker?”  
  
The blue-eyed man frowned, looking pointedly at the saber in the young man’s hand, “You still don’t trust me?”  
  
“You tried to murder me in my sleep.”  
  
“Hmm,” he agreed, shaking his head, “Nothing can express how ashamed I am of that night. It broke me, Ben. Every night of the rest of my life was spent hating myself for what I did. You’re my own flesh and blood. I should have protected you, not hurt you. I’m sorry.”  
  
“You said that on Crait.”  
  
“Oh, so you did hear me. I wasn’t sure if you had over all your yelling. You were too angry to listen then. I meant it then and I mean it now.”  
  
Ben remained silent, neither accepting nor rejecting Luke’s request for forgiveness, but the lightsaber drooped.  
  
“And being one with the Force has certain advantages. I know more now than I did then. I want you to know that none of this was your fault. If I’d known then what I know now. . .”  
  
“You wouldn’t have pulled your lightsaber on me?”  
  
Luke pointed at the saber in Ben’s hand, “Speaking of lightsabers, that saber would go right through me. You might as well turn it off.”  
  
Ben looked down at the saber then at Luke. Frowning, he extinguished the blade.  
  
“Why am I sitting here listening to a dead man?” grumbled Ben.  
  
“Because your ship left you here?”  
  
“Mira wouldn’t leave me. Something’s going on.”  
  
Luke’s lips tightened into a line.  
  
“You know what it is. Tell me,” demanded Ben.  
  
The calming tones of the Master Jedi returned, “In time, padawan. You’re always looking to the future. Always not in the here and now.”  
  
“Apparently, I’ve got nothing but time. Tell me, oh great Master Jedi, why has my ship left without me?”  
  
“They had no choice. A Final Order ship overrode the controls. The Contingency is heading to a rendezvous.”  
  
“She didn’t leave me, then.”  
  
“No, she didn’t leave you. I like her, that Mira. Wish I’d known her when I was alive.”  
Ben rolled his jaw, “So what do I do now?”  
  
“You need to heal. You need to find your footing again.”  
  
Ben groaned, his patience near its end.  
  
“Is this my penance? To spend the rest of my life with you standing over my shoulder?”  
  
“I’ve already done my time here. So unless you want me to stick around, it’ll be just you and those damned porgs. Your choice. Just stay on the good side of Alcida-Auka,” warned Luke.  
  
The spirit paused for a moment, nodding as if giving sage advice, “Did I mention that you might want to keep that in mind? She’s a stickler.”  
  
“What changed your mind?” asked Ben.  
  
“About what?”  
  
“About the Jedi. About me. About the Resistance.”  
  
“The same thing that changed your mind about the dark,” Luke continued, “Rey. When she arrived, it was like a light breaking through the clouds. It was blinding and I tried to turn my eyes away, but she wouldn’t let me. Even hit me over the head with that damned stick of hers until I realized that I was needed. That I had a chance to try to make up for what I’d done.”  
  
He sat his non-corporeal form on the bed.  
  
“She was right about you. She said you were conflicted. That you were our last hope. She tried to convince me to go back with her to the Resistance, to your mother.”  
  
Luke folded his hands in between his knees and bowed his head for a moment.  
  
“Without her, I’d still be living in this hut, fishing and counting the days until the next time the monthly Visitor celebration in the Lannai village.”  
  
Ben swayed as he watched Luke warily.  
  
“You should sit, Ben,” Luke said, waving a hand at the chair by the table. It skidded across the floor, stopping before the fire, pointing at the bed, “You’re going to fall over.”  
  
Ben sat hesitantly. Snoke had taught him never to show weakness, but he was on the edge of collapse.  
  
“You’ve changed since Crait, Ben. I can feel it. The darkness is still there, but you’re in control. The wildness is gone.”  
  
Ben grimaced, “Glad I’m tolerable now. How long do you plan to stay?”  
  
“How long do you need me?”  
  
“I don’t need you,” insisted Ben.  
  
“We’ll see,” said Luke.  
  
“The Force has a plan for you. You need to figure out for yourself what your place is in all of this. Or until the price on your head is one you can afford. Your father would have been proud.”  
  
Ben turned back toward the fire, hoping to stop the shivering that was just beginning to abate, a strangely comfortable silence broken only by the crackling of the fire falling over the hut.  
  
His eyes began to drift closed as the last bits of adrenaline drained from his system.  
  
A solid rap at the wooden door jolted Ben back to alertness.  
  
“Who else is here?” he asked.  
  
“It’s okay, Ben. It’s just the Caretakers.”  
  
Luke raised his hand, using the force to unbolt the door.  
  
A party of Lannai caretakers swooshed into the room, doffing their raingear before scattering to the corners as if in some sort of ritual. The room was far too small for one large human, five Lannai and one Force ghost, so Ben tried to shrink himself down into his chair by the fire.  
  
One caretaker had a sack full of wood that she stacked by the fire before adding more to the feeble flames in the fireplace. Another unloaded bread and fish from a basket onto a plate. The basket of the third had a large pair of shear handles sticking out of the top. Yet a fourth carried a mysterious bag that looked like a giant bladder which she hung on a hook in the far corner.  
  
“The same thing happened the day I arrived. Mysterious how they just know when they’re needed. It’s their tradition to take care of the Jedi settlement. They weren’t happy with what I did to Rey’s hut. Good thing I’m dead. They’d kill me.”  
  
The final Lannai appeared in the doorway, removed her coat, and walked straight up to where Luke was sitting. Judgment was clear in her bird-like eyes.  
  
“Not as invisible as I thought,” he mused. He looked at her, and said plainly, “Must be the sacred island. I’m sorry, Alcida-Auka. It won’t happen again.”  
  
She chattered at him, rapidly, obviously annoyed. Luke raised his hands in front of him in a placating motion, “No, he’s my nephew.”  
  
The squawks continued as she spoke her mind.  
  
“No, not her brother. Look, she wasn’t really my niece.”  
  
Alcida-Auka points at Ben as she said her piece and fell silent, folding her arms crossly.  
  
“Okay, okay. I’ll make sure he behaves.”  
  
Luke turned to address Ben, “What did I tell you? Force of nature.”  
  
The final caretaker, the one with the shears, approached Ben. She pushed on his shoulder, indicating that he needed to stand. She stood on his chair, held a tape to his shoulder, and threw the coil to the floor where the bladder bearer marked the measurement on a tablet. There is no permission requested, just efficient motion.  
  
“What’s this?” the young man asked.  
  
“The village tailor. I’m assuming you don’t have as much as an overnight bag.”  
  
“I wasn’t planning to stay.”  
  
“Well, say ‘oolanja’ and let her do what she does.”  
  
“’Oolanja’?” asked Ben.  
  
The crew murmured and nodded. Alcida-Auka unfolded her arms. Placated, she unloaded towels near the bladder.  
  
The tailor took his inseam measurement, then pushed him back in his seat.  
  
“You just said thank you. Better to get on their good side. You might be here a while.”  
  
The caretaker tending to the fire squeaked excitedly, pointing at the hint of green that had spilled out of Ben’s pouch.  
  
She picked it up reverently, filled a cup with water, and placed the seedling near the window.  
  
The five Lannai chatter animatedly, patting their colleague happily on the back as they put on their oilskin coats and head out into the night.  
  
“They seem . . . interested in the seedling.”  
  
“I’m pretty sure I know why. You’ve got something truly special there.”  
  
“I found it near the Tree,” said Ben.  
  
“It is a sprout of the Tree. The caretakers recognize it. I wondered what Master Yoda was up to when he burned down the tree. He knew that the Tree could not propagate without cleansing fire. The end of the Tree, the end of the Jedi. The beginning of a new Tree, and the beginning of a new Order.”  
  
Luke’s voice in Ben's ear began to fade. Sleep drew Ben, as hard as he fought to stay awake.  
  
“Ben. Don’t fall asleep yet,” prompted Luke. “They brought you water for a shower. Clean towels. You need to get that mud off. Here, eat something. It’ll help.”  
  
The plate prepared by the Caretaker floated across the room to Ben’s lap. The food was simple, but it tasted like heaven.  
  
“I know how curious you are about Jedi history. In the morning I’ll take you to the first Jedi temple.”  
  
“I haven’t got time for sightseeing. I’ve got to find a way to get back to Rey. She can’t fight Cresh alone,” Ben says, his mind drifting between alertness and sleep.  
  
“It can wait, Ben. Time flows differently on Ahch-To,” explained Luke.  
  
“You’re safe here. You need time to heal.”


	24. Hope kindled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey, Finn and Sinjir breech the territory of the Beast Squadron and their commander, Naron Valut.  
>   
> Can they save the serum on which so many lives depend?  
>   
> Rey struggles with a tenuous connection. Has Ben survived his brush with death, or is it all in her mind?  
>   
> This is a partial chapter. I've been struggling with it but I think this is enough to be a chapter of its own. I really wanted to get some posted even if we haven't quite reached the height of the story. Stick with me. We'll bring them all home.  
>   
>   
> 

The ride from the Worker Dormitory to the Advanced Flight deck passed through almost every Octagon on the station.  
  
Work shift was already in progress, so a normally crowded passenger lift only held Rey, Finn, Sinjir and an Ugnaught technician. The technician’s eyes had narrowed, scanning critically up and down Rey’s uniform when she boarded the lift.  
  
Finn and Sinjir looked menacing. They’d ‘liberated’ their armor from the dormitory where they’d left the patrol sleeping. It was black plate with a red base layer, but the helmets stood out most. They reminded her of some carnivorous beast instead of the skull-like appearance of standard First Order gear.  
  
Silence filled the small room, leaving Rey alone with her thoughts.  
  
A chill ran down her spine as a whisper skittered along the edges of her ears.  
  
She turned. Finn, hidden behind the strangely animalistic black and red helmet, twitched in response to her movement, but said nothing. The mission depended on stealth.  
  
The next time it was clearer but still incredibly faint.  
  
“Rey.”  
  
She felt a buzz at the base of her skull. Her heart leapt and hope flooded her chest. If the bond was opening, he was alive.  
  
Seconds stretched. It had never taken this long between the first tingle of the bond and when he appeared.  
  
The silence that usually signaled his appearance she waited for never came.  
  
Had she just imagined it?  
  
She wanted desperately for it to be Ben, to tell her that he was safe, and he’d come to her.  
  
The link – if it was a link – was broken before it truly connected.  
  
The unfulfilled anticipation left her bereft.  
  
Where was he? Was this truly a sign that he was alive or was this just wishful thinking again?  
  
Then there it was again. A fluttery butterfly feeling ran up and down back of her neck, settling at the base of her skull.  
  
There was a flicker in the Force, another attempt at a connection. She was sure of it this time.  
  
Maybe meditation would open a path to the Force as Leia had told her, but with the stranger in the car, she couldn’t drop her disguise.  
  
She concentrated on slowing her racing pulse, gathering the Force to her, preparing to reach out to boost that faint signal if it should come again.  
  
Finn’s feet shifted.  
  
Rey knew he was force sensitive now. He must feel her gathering her power, but his role was of an impassive trooper. Until they were alone, they must remain silent.  
  
Her mind returned to her task. Reaching out to Ben.  
  
She dug into her most powerful memories, hoping to follow them along the Force’s path until she finally could reach him.  
  
On Exegol, he’d come for her, knowing that Palpatine would try to kill them both, with no plan except the blaster in his hand.  
  
A classic Solo move.  
  
She’d heard stories about Han running into dangerous situations during memorial. Like father, like son.  
  
He’d come for her when she needed him, standing against the monster who had haunted this family for generations.  
  
She’d watched, horrified, as the Emperor tossed Ben like a ragdoll into the pit.  
  
Palpatine’s Force lightning was stronger, more dangerous than anything she’d ever experienced, dwarfing even the colossal sandstorms – X’uus R’iia – of Jakku.  
  
She’d called on the Jedi of the past and they’d come to be be with her.  
  
With their encouragement, she’d finally destroyed the terror that may have been her grandfather. She gave everything she had, then collapsed on the floor of the arena, her remaining life force ebbing.  
  
Her last thoughts were of him.  
  
Was Ben okay? Would he be there to greet her when she became one with the Force?  
  
Then everything went black.  
  
But then she drew a deep breath into her lungs, opened her eyes and he was there. He held her in his arms, staring at her with those deep brown eyes.  
  
The life force he had given her was colored with the light of Ben. She could feel it circulating through her mind and body, healing every cell of her being and overwhelming her senses. It was everything. For that one brief moment, nothing existed beyond their intimate little circle.  
  
His gift was incandescent, shining with his love for her. It filled every cell of her being.  
  
It was as deep as the Force.  
  
He was the home she’d never known. Her belonging. And she was his, like theirs was a soul torn apart, finally bound back together.  
  
Above them, Resistance ships did victory laps in the sky. Final Order ships burned; their carcasses dragged to the surface by Exegol’s gravity. The dust of ages disturbed by Palpatine’s lightning settled gently to the ground around them.  
  
All they saw was one another.  
  
Everything had changed. Now, they could be together. Now, she took his hand.  
  
Her mind blazed with possibilities. She would bring him home, back to the Resistance, to the cause that his mother had given everything to. He’d turned. He’d found his way back to the light that was his birthright. He fought with her against Palpatine, saving the Resistance fleet.  
  
Once they knew that they’d have to forgive him.  
  
And if they didn’t, then she would go with him into exile. She’d spent so many of her waking hours thinking about how they could make this work, if only he would turn.  
  
The clandestine dreams had filled her nights and had left her with shame in the morning. She felt no shame now. He had made his choice.  
  
He had chosen her and her dreams could now be real. Now, in this one, clear moment.  
  
As his concern passed into wonder, she scanned his face.  
  
And then this man, a Prince, once Supreme Leader of the First Order, looked at her – a scavenger, a nobody - shyly, searching for her approval.  
  
The mask that was Kylo Ren was gone.  
  
Holding her was Ben Solo, a lost boy finally come home. Her belonging.  
  
The monster who had plagued his family for generations could not stand in the way of their dyad.  
  
His elation at her return to the living was clear on his face.  
  
The corners of his mouth turned up in a relieved smile of gratitude.  
  
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She would make him smile every day for the rest of his life if she could.  
  
The bond was so strong in that moment, as if there was a tether connecting them, pulling them together.  
  
And then she kissed him.  
  
She poured all her love into that kiss. He returned it like a man starving. Like it was the only thing he need to sustain him.  
  
Like a man dying.  
  
But then his smile faltered.  
  
Disbelief washed over her as the bond went dark. He was right there in her arms, but she couldn’t feel him anymore.  
  
A heartbeat. A blink of the eye.  
  
Then the light faded from his eyes. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm, cushioning his leaden drop as his body gave out.  
  
And she knew. The life force that he’d given her had been all he had left.  
  
Like X’uus R’iia scouring the flesh from the bones of wayward travelers, all that had been promised to her was ripped away just when she thought she’d found her home.  
  
Her love.  
  
Her Ben.  
  
Her mind scrambled. She needed to save him the way he’d saved her.  
  
She could feel the power of the Force here on Exegol. It must be a place where the dark and the light met, sharing the living Force between them.  
  
The power was right there, she just needed to tap into it, and channel it back into his body.  
  
She’d only felt this raw power once before - on Ahch-To.  
  
She reached out to it.  
  
But before she could begin, he faded on the floor of the arena.  
  
Gone.  
  
Her soul tore in two.  
  
She gathered his shirt but couldn't find the fancy silver blaster he’d carried.  
  
Her mind told her that he was gone, one with the Force like Leia had told her, but even now she could feel the life force he had given her resonating along her spine.  
  
It had stayed with her in the days following, its strength diminishing as she regained her own strength.  
  
One day it would be gone and she would be alone. Again.  
  
She now realized it had masked when the bond had connected them. She’d foolishly mistaken his attempts to reach out to her as wistful dreams.  
  
And then - was it only yesterday? – he’d appeared to her during her meditations. He’d looked so overwhelmed, his face drawn and distressed, but this time he felt real. His expression lifted when he saw her, but the connection was tenuous.  
  
Around him was the aura of mortal danger. His face bore the look of defeat. Sorrow crowded his eyes, almost as if he were saying goodbye.  
  
The force guided her hand. She reached into the satchel and her fingers closed on the compass. It felt right.  
  
With the same stylus that she’d used to mark the days waiting for her family to return, she scrawled the name of her destination on the case, then pushed with all the strength she had, pressed it through the bond.  
  
She could only hope that he had understood and that they’d soon be back together. Then they’d deal with whatever the universe threw at them.  
  
The lift door opened and the Ugnaught hurried away from the stormtroopers.  
  
Finn touched her arm. She couldn’t see his face under the black stormtrooper helmet that he now wore but she knew.  
  
No words were needed. Finn could feel her sadness. She hoped she could count on him to support her when she really needed it.  
  
The lift stopped at the catwalk overlooking Advanced Fighter Bay 12.  
  
Below them were the most dangerous ships Sienar-Jaemus manufactured, the best tech that credits could buy. Racks of cutting-edge TIEs awaiting testing or deployment sat waiting along one wall. Technicians fluttered about, probing and testing, connecting and disconnecting.  
  
The armada of small fighter craft were just waiting for their turn to annihilate those that stood in their way.  
  
Rey’s shuttle, a recommissioned First Order Command shuttle, sat across the bay, now surrounded by troopers. All wore the black and red armor that she now knew signified that they were Beast Squadron, Kylo Ren’s own.  
  
But she had a new concern.  
  
“Rose isn’t answering my com,” she said, “And the shuttle is surrounded by Beast Squadron.”  
  
“Did she send you an emergency signal?” asked Sinjir.  
  
“No,” said Rey, relieved.  
  
“Then she’s fine. Probably up to her elbows in Sienar-Jaemus intellectual property,” concluded Finn.  
  
Sinjir looked down at the device in his hand, “The tracker puts the serum over there.”  
  
“In the TIE Whisper?” asked Rey.  
  
The ship gleamed red and black, ringed by a force shield powered by pylons, guarded by a contingent of Beast Squadron troopers. A droid shaped like an Alothian Battlecat, armored in black and red, patrolled the space between the launch window and the shuttle.  
  
“Sadie,” said Finn.  
  
“What’s that?” asked Rey.  
  
“The Beast Squadron mascot, SAD1. Prime First Order tech, from the same team that created the active tracker. This is not good.”  
  
“We don’t have much choice,” said Rey, sotto voce.  
  
A dark-haired technician with a bright orange vest walked out from behind the TIE. She looked up – casually reviewing the stormtroopers around her – before turning her eyes back to the datapad in her hand.  
  
Finn’s voice suddenly lightened, nodding at the ship below, “Look. It’s Rose.”  
  
“Right next to the picket,” he continued, the worry in his voice dampened by the voice modulator.  
  
“Quietly, Finn,” shushed Sinjir, turn his head to look at the camera nodes in the walls, “Valut has eyes everywhere. We need to move. The longer we stand here, the more attention we’re going to get.”  
  
Rey knew what she had to do. Without turning her head toward her companions, she said, “I’ll get Rose and the serum out on Kylo’s ship. You two get on that shuttle and get out of here.”  
  
“It’s on the opposite side of the bay. We’ll have to get past Beast Squadron without raising suspicion,” said Finn.  
  
Rey spoke quietly out of the corner of her mouth, “Your armor is perfect. Who would question you?”  
  
“Valut or Sadie. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Looks like we’re getting our chance to blend,” said Sinjir, touching his helmet to let Rey know there’s a comm, “We’ve got Formation.”  
  
Sinjir slipped her the tracker, “The simplest plans are the best. Come on, PN-4235. Let’s fall in.”  
  
Sounds of marching feet echoed throughout the bay. The guards, in unison, moved to line up in the center of the deck.  
  
“Okay. Go.”  
  
Rey nodded then skirted around the back of a pile of supply crates.  
  
A pair of troopers on their way to formation stopped for a moment to look at her. She tapped her datapad knowingly. They nodded before continuing to their formation.  
  
In that moment, Rey lost sight of Finn and Sinjir.  
  
Good, she thought, if she can’t tell them from the others, they’d be okay.


	25. The Path to Atonement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is half of the chapter. I hope to have the second half during the week since it's mostly written. This seemed like a good place to break.  
>   
> This chapter is an indulgence. I hadn't planned to write more Ben-on-Ahch-To, but the story is "Atonement", after all.  
> This was fun to write. What will Ben find when he sees the First Temple of the Jedi? That's our next chapter.  
>   
> Warning: There are character deaths in this chapter but don't worry - this is a HEA story. It will be over quickly.  
> [](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
> 

The ground was covered in fog, dim lights illuminating a street on an unknown world.  
  
No, he recognized it.  
  
Coronet City.  
  
Ben watched helplessly from afar as Cresh and Mira fought Rey and the traitor FN-2187. Rey was strong and the traitor was a natural with a blade, but they were no match for the well-trained Master and Apprentice.  
  
It was Hux who had labeled this man a traitor but he had taken the noble path when Ben had weakly followed his Master’s orders.  
  
Finn was the traitor’s name, he remembered, watching the man parry blow after blow with Ben’s grandfather’s lightsaber, taking Ben’s place at Rey’s side where he should be.  
  
Finn would make a fine Jedi if he survived the fight.  
  
In the end, the former stormtrooper’s skill with a blade was no match for a fully trained Inquisitor. Moments later, he lay dead on the ground, sliced through the back.  
  
Cresh landed a thrust with the red cross-blade saber, eviscerating Rey. She fell to the ground, lifeless.  
  
Ben felt numb. He should feel something – anything. Rey’s eyes remained open in surprise as he saw the life leave her eyes. Again.  
  
His lack of feeling told him what he needed to know. This was a nightmare, not reality.  
  
He knew how he felt when she had died. He’d do anything to never feel that feeling again.  
  
Then the man, who once commanded armies, awoke curled up on a simple wooden cot that was far too small for him, wrapped in a rustic blanket, his breath a cloud in the air as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the failing lantern.  
  
The embers of last night’s fire lay cold in the fireplace. Cracks of light filtered through the holes in the shutters on the only window in the hut.  
  
Morning had come and he was marooned on Ahch-To.  
  
Now he had time to re-evaluate his situation. Possibly a lot of time, if he was wrong about Mira.  
  
It had been the former Inquisitor’s idea that he and Cresh come to Ahch-To together. Maybe this was the plan all along – to leave ‘The Emperor’ where he would never be found again. Cresh was the only one strong enough to do it.  
  
To any outside observer, Cresh was Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. The scattered regiments of the First Order would follow him without question. Mira would be the power behind the throne, fulfilling Palpatine’s wishes. Together, they could rule the galaxy.  
  
If Mira had ordered his execution, then everything was lost – his family, his place in the galaxy, his new-found brothers, the children of Exegol.  
  
The betrayal still stung but he was helpless to do anything about it.  
  
Maybe they had forgotten about the Dyad. He knew the bond worked here on Ahch-To. The blanket he wore bore witness to that fact. It was just a matter of time before the bond opened again.  
  
And he knew. Rey was still alive. She would come for him. He just needed to find a way to reach out with the bond. To warn her of the danger that was headed her way.  
  
He needed to get off this rock and be with her.  
  
But he had immediate concerns. The hut was freezing and he needed to start with the basics.  
  
The frigid stone floors sent knives of cold up Ben’s legs as he put his bare feet on the ground. The blanket covered his torso with a little to spare and he pulled it closer.  
  
He hopped on the balls of his feet from the cot to the fireplace, grabbing some kindling and a log from the pile left by the Caretakers last night.  
  
The mud still clung to the clothes drying on the hook on the mantel. His frozen fingers couldn’t tell if they were still damp or just cold.  
  
This wasn’t an austere start to what was probably the first day of the rest of his life.  
  
Things were cold and dreary, but a fire would make things a bit more bearable.  
  
He carefully lay the wood in the fireplace and had just called the lightsaber to light it when he heard running feet outside the hut, followed by the sounds of fists banging on his door.  
  
Hastily, he wrapped the blanket around his waist like a skirt before opening the door.  
  
There stood a Caretaker, a bundle of oilcloth tucked under her arm. She pushed it into his hands and chided him agitatedly, motioning for him to open the parcel quickly.  
  
Inside was clothing - a deep umber tunic with huge cuffs at sleeve and ankle, and a pair of matching britches. The oilcloth had a hole in the top and a hood. A poncho.  
  
He held them up briefly. Whoever these clothes had originally been sewn for was far larger than Ben.  
  
His slow review of the clothing did not suit her. She squawked louder, pointed furiously at the clothing and his body, then equally emphatically at the path nearby.  
  
His morose ruminations would have to wait.  
  
He knew what he had to do.  
  
He felt the warmth return to his limbs as he pulled on the thick woolen fabric. He cinched the wide russet belt, finding a perfectly placed hook for his saber.  
  
Were these the clothes of a Jedi from ages past?  
  
He moved to the cot to slide on the matching knit socks which he gratefully found insulated his feet from the icy floor.  
  
He grabbed his boots from near the fireplace which miraculously seemed dry.  
  
Ben ducked through the door, out into the misty morning.  
  
She pushed him ahead of her, indicating the path to the village, shooing him with great sweeps of her arms.  
  
He set a swift pace down the muddy steps, slipping occasionally in the quickly hardening muck.  
  
He’d barely made it to the first landing when the Force brought him a spike of animalistic fear. A low-pitched vibration rose from the steps below. A half-dozen spooked nerfs, their grunting rattle reverberating in the cold morning air, clambered up the only way down.  
  
These nerfs were smaller than the ones of his childhood nightmares, but their curved horns were as deadly sharp as he remembered.  
  
Whatever had scared them was more terrifying than one human. He was no longer that frightened child.  
  
Raising his arms in the air, he whistled loudly, using the Force to project a much larger image of himself. They turned in their tracks.  
  
The Lanai buzzed around frantically trying to reign in chaos.  
  
Porgs pushed bundles of thatch intended for roof repairs back to the ground. A group of Lanai pumped furiously as a breach in the sea wall poured water into the village streets. They waved their arms at him as he passed, his charges splashing their hooves in the rising water.  
  
He and his nerf herd soon arrived at a paddock where several smaller Lanai gave him grateful smiles and herded the nerfs into their barn.  
  
In the paddock where the nerfs lived, the fence was flattened, and a large gray creature wallowed closer to the fish pen on the edge of the sea wall. It bellowed belligerently. Lanai chittered and waved thatch bundles at the creature, but it ignored them and continued to throw its enormous, unwieldy mass at the fish pen wall.  
  
Inside the pen, wedged into the space between the sea and the village was a smaller, more wrinkled creature. A gaping slash tore open its flipper. It snapped uselessly at the vicious fish that swarmed the purple blood that oozed from the wound.  
  
A mother Thala Siren and its young, thought Ben. She’s trying to protect her child.  
  
Ben remembered the gardens near his childhood home on Chandrila and a little baby talala that had fallen from its nest. The mother bird had swooped at him as he approached the fledgling, trying desperately to scare away the nasty predator. Little Ben had reached out with the Force instinctively to calm her as he lifted her offspring back to safety.  
  
The skill was rusty, but he tried just the same.  
  
Slowly, hand raised palm out before him, he whispered gently, “Hold on, mama. I’ll get your baby out. Shh.”  
  
The Thala Siren bleated mournfully one final time before snuffling his outstretched hand.  
  
“Stay, mama,” said the former Supreme Leader softly, “He’ll be out in a moment.”  
  
Mother Alcida-Auka turned from where she stood watching the youngster. Deliberately, she pointed at the creature, then at the village wall.  
  
Ben had no idea what she was saying, but he reassured her.  
  
“I’m sorry but I have to make a hole in the seawall to get the baby out. You’ll lose some fish, but the village won’t flood. I promise.”  
  
Gathering the Force, he lifted a large rock from the seawall and nudged the young beastie back out into the ocean.  
  
Mama Siren rapidly wobbled to the dock, throwing herself into the ocean, causing more water to splash into the village.  
  
Ben returned the boulder back to its original position.  
  
He saw the relieved mother guiding her child to their beach nearby. She looked over at Ben and blew him a grateful snort.  
  
Mother and child reunited, Mother Alcida-Auka grabbed him by the hand.  
  
The Lanai village had not fared as well as the Jedi settlement but somehow amid all this chaos, they’d found time to provide him with new clothing.  
  
He could feel the presence of the Jedi Temple atop the mountain, but he knew what his mother would have done.  
  
He spent his first day alone on Ahch-To in the company of the Lanai, helping them to repair their village.  
  
As the sun began to warm the sky after the storm, the Lanai laughed and smiled, guiding him from one chore to the next. Even Mother Alcida-Auka seemed to take a liking to him.  
  
The Caretakers rewarded him with fresh fish stew, hearty bread, and what passed for Ale.  
  
As the day faded to evening, he saw porgs freewheeling across the sky.  
  
His heart ached that he would never fly again but this life, with its placid pace and simplicity, would suit him. Here, he was free of the First Order, of Snoke and Palpatine, of the demands of Master Skywalker and his temple, and of the galaxy that called for his extinction.  
  
As if he had a choice.  
  
Maybe, just maybe, this was the best he could hope for.  
  
He felt that the service done here was the beginning of his atonement for the harm he had done to the Galaxy. Here, at least, he would do no more damage.  
  
He returned exhausted to the hut, only to find a more suitable cot with a pile of woolen blankets in the place of the smaller bed.  
  
Tomorrow he would climb the mountain and see the Temple.  
  
He fell into a deep slumber, free of the voices in his head, confident in his decision to make up, in some small way, for the devastation he had caused.


	26. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Master and his Padawan.  
>   
> A Nephew and his Uncle.  
>   
> Skywalkers targeted by a family enemy, their relationship torn apart.  
>   
> Will they learn to forgive one another?  
>   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be much larger but it reached a natural breaking point. I hope to have the next chapter ready soon.  
>   
> Because of this, the chapter count may go up a little.  
> 

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
He slept the sleep of the exhausted, as dawn crept around the mountain, the peaceful slumber turned into a nightmare that washed over him like a typhoon over a windswept island.  
  
Most of the dream was a blur – death, fire, darkness, anger, loss. His heart raced at the menace the dream exposed. His stomach ached with dread and foreboding at who would cause the destruction his dream foretold.  
  
Like a sleepwalker, every step full of anguish, the legendary Jedi Master trudged to the secluded hut outside the Temple walls where the padawan prepared for his journey to Knighthood.  
  
His nephew had been the first of the training temple to reach the Trials. There would be no more. He would send them all away.  
  
He faltered, his steps halting outside the hut. This wasn’t right!  
  
How could he make this heart-wrenching decision on his own? There had to be some way to save him, to bring him back to the light.  
  
How could he harm this child that he loved as if he were his own son?  
  
This child, the one that had wiggled in his arms as an infant. The toddler who took joy in the simple creatures that surrounded him? The boy whose ardent love for flying reminded him of his own childhood? This young man to whom the Force spoke so eloquently? The man whose unquenchable thirst for the secrets of the Jedi which would make him a conduit from the past to the future?  
  
And yet, the images of death and destruction returned. Echoing in the back of his mind were the words, “You did not make this choice. He did. It is your duty to be sure that he doesn’t follow your father into Darkness. Darth Vader’s deeds will be like child’s play in comparison. Look into his mind and see the violence, the hatred and the intense desire for power. He will not be a Jedi Knight. This is the turning point. Tomorrow, the Trials will show his true self, and he will turn. You won’t be able to stop him. There is too much darkness in him.”  
  
In a moment of weakness, he looked inside the boy’s mind.  
  
It was true.He didn’t want to believe what he saw, but the images were clear.  
  
That can’t be who he is. He’s not evil.  
  
The echo replied, “The boy has chosen the dark. He will be the end of everything you love. There is too much of his grandfather in him.”  
  
There was no choice.  
  
No choice at all. Only one path would avert disaster.  
  
The consequences would ruin him for the rest of his days.  
  
How would he tell her? Would she understand why the sacrifice had to be made? Why it had to be their own flesh and blood? That the taint of Vader had taken root and had to be purged?  
  
The price had to be paid, the pawn had to be removed from the game, or the suffering of the galaxy would be incalculable. If only it had been someone else.  
  
“He has chosen the dark.”  
  
He found himself hovering over the bed, cradling his lightsaber in his mechanical hand.  
  
The echo ordered, “Best to be quick about it. No need to cause him undue suffering.”  
  
He ignited his lightsaber.  
  
A gentle voice called his name.  
  
“Ben.”  
  
Ben’s eyes opened but they wouldn’t focus.  
  
“Ben, wake up.”  
  
Ben Solo came fully awake at the sound of his uncle’s voice.  
  
But he wasn’t at the Temple.  
  
He was on Ahch-To, standing ominously above his own cot, the training saber in his hand.  
  
“Ben. Deactivate your saber. You don’t need it.”  
  
“Luke.”  
  
Ben’s voice was shaky. He turned to see the blue shrouded image of his uncle behind him.  
  
“Ben, it was a dream. You’re safe now.”  
  
“Uh,” groaned Ben, still groggy from the dream, “It was the dream. The one I’ve had uncounted nights. Whenever I wanted to reach out to you, to find out why you did this to me, it came. I would wake up in a cold sweat, hating you for what you’d done, driving away the light. Snoke told me that fear and pain fueled my connection to the dark. He told me to welcome it, embrace the strength it gave me. That it was a bridge to find you, so I could end the Jedi once and for all. I never could find you.”  
  
Ben walked to the fire, adding a small log and stoking the embers into a flame.  
  
He turned to look back at the figure behind him, “But this dream was different. This time, I was you.”  
  
The old Jedi Master lead his former student with a short question, “You were me?”  
  
Ben eyed his old master suspiciously, “You didn’t do this, did you? Is this some lesson designed to make me feel sorry for you?”  
  
“No. It wasn’t me. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t me. You’ve suffered enough because of my bad choices.”  
  
"It was the night before my Trials. I had decided it was my path to follow you, to train new Jedi. To learn the secrets that the Jedi had left behind. The padawans that we found - the ones who had been used for their power by the cartel – I wanted to teach them that their power wasn’t a burden or a curse. In my meditations, I asked the Force to show me how I could use what I had learned – the best parts of the Jedi – to save the force sensitives of the galaxy from those that would prey on them. Little did I know that I was being set up – that a more devious mind had plans for me. One more day and I would have been free of the doubts that I wasn’t good enough to be a Jedi Knight.”  
  
“You weren’t good enough? Ben, I was afraid my training wasn’t good enough. That your fall to the dark was my doing. Without the support of the Jedi, we were flying blind.”  
  
“We were both afraid and Palpatine used this against us. I need to meditate on this, Uncle Luke. I’m not ready to talk about it.”  
Luke nodded, accepting.  
  
“Okay. Maybe later. The tailor left you a package. It’s outside the door.”  
  
Ben opened the door, letting in the cool morning air.  
  
Inside the package, he found stunning new bespoke garments to replace the ones that were caked in sweat and dirt from his labors at the village.  
  
The Jedi Master looked over at the garments his nephew laid on the cot, “Nice clothes.”  
  
A subtly embroidered tabard layered over a soft beige tunic fell to a point in the front, looking very different from the tunic he’d worn for years at the temple. Ben couldn’t fault the tailor for the fit. She would have been welcome in the finest tailor shops in Chandrila.  
  
“A bit fancy for working clothes.”  
  
“I made the Caretakers a little crazy by foraging for myself. After a few years here, I finally gave in and let Tsani make me Master’s robes. She was beside herself with joy. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I broke my connection to the Force. I don’t know if they ever noticed,” said Master Skywalker.  
  
“That’s why I couldn’t find you.”  
  
“I couldn’t take the shame of what I’d done. I couldn’t live with what I’d done to you, and your parents. I know I said it before, Ben, but I’m sorry. I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to forgive me for what I did.”  
  
The younger man sighed, “I depended on you. I trusted you to fix what was wrong with me. Then even the legendary Luke Skywalker gave up on me. That told me that Snoke had been telling me the truth. That I was alone. He was waiting for me with open arms.”  
  
An uneasy silence filled the room.  
  
Skywalker changed the subject, “You helped the Lanai yesterday. This is their way of saying oolanja. This island has been their home for ages. They consider it an honor to serve the Jedi. They felt abandoned, and now you’re here. They want you to be the man who brings the Jedi back to Ahch-To.”  
  
“Then they’re in for disappointment. I would be a danger to anyone I teach. Once the New Alliance finds out where I am – that I’m teaching – everything I hoped to do would be lost. I’m a greater danger to those who seek me out. I can’t leave here. If I go, I’ll be dead in a week.”  
  
“Maybe the Force has other plans for you then?”  
  
“We’ll see.”  
  
Luke looked down at the clothing again.  
  
“High Republic era, maybe?  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Ben shivered as he pulled off his nightshirt and pulled on the new under tunic.  
  
He turned and looked at his uncle, “Forgiving you was not on my agenda. But now I see that you were tricked, too.”  
  
“You need to forgive yourself, as well, Ben.”  
  
He sighed, and continued, “I don’t hate you anymore, Uncle Luke. Let’s start with that.”  
  
“I appreciate that. Once you’re dressed, I’ll show you the way to the temple.”  
  
“It’s a small island, Luke. I think I can find it. It’ll give me some time to think.”  
  
Master Skywalker began to fade, “Suit yourself. The path is steep. Take my walking stick with you. It might be helpful.”


	27. The Trial of Ben Solo (AKA Bendemption)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben reaches out to the Force from the Jedi Temple on Ahch-To, hoping to reach Rey.  
> However, the Force has other ideas.  
> What happens when the Jedi High Council (post mortem) puts him on Trial?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to anyone who got notified twice. This was not showing up in the Ao3 index when *I* looked. I deleted and reposted. Same story. No changes.

  
[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
As he climbed the sun rose, turning the sky from black to purple streaked with red to blue. The steps twisted around the mountain, making the path longer but less steep.  
  
The ocean breeze tossed his hair around his head.  
  
A smile crossed his face. Rey taken this same path. It lightened his steps. She’d looked out at the same sunrise, smelled the salt churned up by the ocean below, heard the porgs cry from their nest in the rocks.  
  
He missed her. It had only been days since they’d fought Palpatine, but it felt like a year.  
  
He wished she were here with him, but he knows he’s just being selfish.  
  
The galaxy would need her in the days and months to come.  
  
The coms had been full of distress calls. There were too many in need, too few available to help.  
  
In another lifetime, they could have been a team. Flying in supplies on the Millennium Falcon, using their skills like the Jedi of old to save the lives of those in jeopardy.  
  
Using his knowledge of the First Order to convince the hold outs to surrender.  
  
Ah, but that’s where the daydream faltered.  
  
It didn’t matter how much he could help now. No one in the New Alliance government would trust the man that was once Kylo Ren, even if his parents had been Rebellion war heroes.  
  
The Lanai didn’t know the monster they harbored. It was only a matter of time before someone else came to harm because of him. The bounty hunters were out there and like the Inquisitors of old, the best ones would find a way to use the force to find him.  
  
He turned his head down to the ground to look at the steps before him.  
  
Every step brought him a memory of the people who were no longer here because of him, whether through action or inaction.  
  
The toll was high. Some had been innocent, some guilty. Young and old. Force-sensitive and not.  
  
Strangers. Friends.  
  
And family.  
  
Hennix, Tai, Voe, Master Luke, Ren, Lor San Tekka, the villagers of Tuanul. Scores of unnamable stormtroopers. Officers he’d strangled for their ‘incompetence’ as Hux looked on waiting for his moment to prey on any ‘weakness’ in the Supreme Leader.  
  
Han.  
  
Leia.  
  
The entire Hosnian system was gone because he followed orders. He knew what Starkiller Base was capable of but did nothing to prevent the cataclysm.  
  
His dad gave his life to prevent more people from dying.  
  
No.  
  
His dad risked his life to destroy Starkiller, but he gave his life to try to bring Ben home.  
  
It was a burden that Ben would carry for the rest of his life.  
  
He would never be able to face Chewbacca again.  
  
No, Rey was strong, and the New Alliance government trusted their new Jedi.  
  
He would only be a distraction to her.  
  
Maybe Uncle Luke had the right idea.  
  
There had to be a reason why the Force had allowed him to be marooned here. Maybe this was where he was supposed to be.  
  
Maybe this would be his pretty jail for the rest of his life.  
  
He hoped that in a year or two, when the First Order was finally defeated and the New Alliance government firmly established, Rey would come back to Ahch-To and find him in his new home.  
  
He was at peace with his decision. It was made not for the benefit of his masters, not for the benefit of the First Order, or the Jedi Order, or even himself but for the good of the entire galaxy. He hoped it would have made his mother proud.  
  
He knew what he had to do, and for once he was strong enough to do it.  
  
He hoped for one final conversation with Rey if the bond cooperated.  
  
His aching feet thanked him as he reached the top.  
  
A cleft in the rock lead to a cavern where the Force flowed like a mountain stream.  
  
The sanctuary carved from the heart of the mountain was huge. Inlaid lines on the floor circled a pool, in the center of which was an ancient mosaic.  
  
The scholar in him marveled at the depiction of the First Jedi, split down the center, showing a perfect balance of light and dark.  
  
The rest of the chamber was bare, the flickering of light from outside the cave drawing shadows on the walls.  
  
There would be plenty of time to study it once his task was complete.  
  
This was what he needed. Enough power to reach out to her, where ever she was.  
  
He would warn her about his brother, make sure she was safe and tell her he loved her.  
  
The bond would not tell her where he was. She must not look for him.  
  
Then he would tell her goodbye.  
  
Once that was done, there was enough power here to perform the Jedi task of separation.  
  
A breeze blew into the enclosed cavern, bringing his attention to a meditation stone, worn with time and use. It sat beyond a cleft in the wall, offering a view of the ocean for miles around, and of the tiny islands that completed the archipelago.  
  
Ben climbed atop the stone, folded his legs, drew the force to the center of his being, and drifted into meditation.  
  
The power of the vergence was like a wave flowing outward. He called it to his core, drawing on the light, stronger each day now that his mind was free of the rot of Palpatine.  
  
Humbly, he called to the spirits of the Jedi past to forgive him for his fall to the dark before he cut himself off from the Force.  
  
His thoughts returned to Rey. He knew she would resist his decision. She would offer to come get him, to try to make the New Alliance government grant him leniency.  
  
This infant government had to be tougher than the New Republic that took all his mother’s time when he was a child. There was always one crisis or another as the Centrists and the Populists fought for domination in the New Republic.  
  
The Trial of Kylo Ren would be nothing more than political theater before his public execution. It would steal the spotlight from issues far more important – feeding the hungry, curing the sick, establishing a new rule of law.  
  
Better if he remained a ghost.  
  
The bond had never worked on his schedule. It always opened on the whim of the Force but for once, it seemed that the Force was working with him, not against him.  
  
A familiar tingle ran up his spine. The sound of the porgs, the wind blowing across the peak and the waves crashing below dropped to utter silence as the bond began to open.  
  
“Rey,” he exhaled in relief before the bond cut off violently.  
  
A man’s voice, deep and commanding, called from inside the Temple Chamber.  
  
“Padawan Solo.”  
  
A cold chill ran through his soul at the other-worldly voice that rang through the cavern.  
  
“Ben Solo, padawan learner of Master Luke Skywalker, the Jedi High Council summons you,” called another voice, this one female.  
  
“Who stands on behalf of those wronged by this padawan?” asked a third.  
  
Ben knew he would have to one day face the New Alliance government. He hadn’t considered that the Jedi might wish to judge him, as well.  
  
During his years at Luke’s temple, he had studied everything he could find about the Jedi Order. Luke brought him every record he had ever found. But the records of the Jedi High Council were sealed. He had only the legends to tell him of the trials of lost Jedi like Bariss Offee and Prosset Dibs. His crimes exceeded theirs by many orders of magnitude.  
  
Although he hadn’t been able to complete his Jedi Trials, he had pledged himself to the Jedi Order before the temple burned. He failed.  
  
Moments ago, he had called on the Jedi of the past.  
  
They had answered.  
  
He would put himself at their mercy.  
  
His choice clear, he was on his feet in an instant, walking with his head held high.  
  
The cavern that moments ago had been silent and empty was now transformed.  
  
Where once stood sheer rock walls now rolled a dense fog, from which emanated three shrouded figures.  
  
Two women and a man, dressed in formal Jedi attire of the pre-Imperial era, walked to the center of the temple, their auras reflecting in the surface of the pool  
  
Ben’s heart sank at the next words, as a small Jedi Master hobbled with the aid of a crooked stick from the dark rim into the center of the chamber.  
  
“Stand, I will, on behalf of those harmed by the crimes committed by Darth Sideous and his Enforcer, Kylo Ren.”  
  
The leader continued, “Thank you, Master Yoda. And who stands in defense of this Jedi?”  
  
The fog emitted the specter of a man with a long blond mane pulled back from his face in a braid that fell with the waterfall of hair that reached his mid-back.  
  
“Master Windu, the parting of Padawan Solo and his Master is a point of this Trial. Master Luke Skywalker has requested I speak in defense of his padawan. I was not able to intervene on the young man’s behalf until now. It would honor me to stand in his Master’s place should the padawan agree,” he announced.  
  
The man turned to look at Ben. “Do you accept the offer of Master Qui-gon Jinn to stand in place of your Jedi Master?”  
  
Ben considered. Obi-Wan’s master was well respected, but all accounts he had read labeled Master Jinn a maverick Jedi. He hoped that would work in his favor.  
  
“I do,” agreed Ben.  
  
“We accept your kind offer, Master Qui-gon, and we will begin this Trial,” said the Mirialan Jedi.  
  
“Padawan Solo, I will introduce the Jedi who will determine your fate. I am Master Windu. Master Adi Gallia,” he indicated the Tholothian Jedi to his left, and then to his right to the Mirialan Jedi, “and Master Luminara Unduli.”  
  
Master Gallia looked at Ben closer, just for a moment, before her attention returned to Master Windu.  
  
Master Qui-gon nodded at Master Yoda.  
  
Master Gallia made the next request, “Padawan, you will place your lightsaber at the base of the mosaic.”  
  
Ben placed the saber from his belt on the ledge at the base of the mosaic.  
  
“This is not the crystal that selected you,” accused Master Gallia.  
  
“I beg your pardon, Master Gallia. My crystal and my saber are at the bottom of the ocean on Kef Bir.”  
  
The puddle that lay in the mosaic rippled. In it, Ben saw an image of himself throwing his saber into the ocean.  
  
The training saber rolled away, into the shadows.  
  
“A Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect than to be thrown away so callously. Your crystal cries at the damage you have done to it. This is an egregious violation of Jedi code,” stated Master Unduli.  
  
“I understand,” said Ben, bowing his head, “So many died by that blade, including my own father.”  
  
“Is it the crystal’s fault that how it was used?” she asked, “Would it have preferred to save lives than take them? You may step back, padawan.”  
  
Windu continued, “You stand on the sacred Island, in the sacred cave of the First Je’daii, accused of using the Force for darkness. Master Qui-gon, does the padawan have anything to say on his own behalf.”  
  
“Go on, Ben,” encouraged Master Jinn, “The Force knows your heart.”  
  
The young Jedi stood, hands clasped in front of him, somber in his new Jedi robes.  
  
“I am a monster. I fell to the dark. I accept whatever punishment the High Council decrees.”  
  
He fell to his knees, his head bowed.  
  
“A defense that was not, young Solo. Yet sense resolve in you, I do.”  
  
“Fear leads to suffering. Fear of Loss – fear of rejection – fear of failure. Like his grandfather before him, Padawan Solo gave into the dark side because of fear.”  
  
“Thank you, Master Yoda. Master Jinn, have you a rebuttal?”  
  
“Yes, Master Windu. I need not remind any of the Masters here how we were deceived by Sheev Palaptine. How the entire galaxy was fooled by the Master of the Sith. That Darth Sideous’ downfall came about because of the love of Anakin Skywalker for his son, Luke.”  
  
“We can surmise that Sideous remained alive as a trick of the darkest of Sith Powers, kindled by hatred of the Skywalker family.”  
  
“And Padawan Solo was the target of revenge.”  
  
Master Jinn walked to the pool.  
  
“He, his mother and his master walked into this trap unknowing because they were alone. There was no wise council, no guiding advice, no records of the past to show them where the pitfalls lay. The supports the Jedi have come to depend on were all cleverly all wiped out by Sideous.”  
  
Yoda added, “Made the dark choice, Padawan Solo did. Chose the dark path, he did, when he might have chosen the light.”  
  
“He did try to choose the light. The night that Sideous burned the Skywalker Temple was the night that Ben Solo pledged himself to the Jedi Order, to defend the light, and begin the Trials that should have made him a Jedi Knight.”  
  
“Despite a lifetime of mental manipulation, Sideous could not shake the boy’s trust in his uncle. He couldn’t turn him, so he targeted Skywalker. In a moment of weakness, Sideous successfully planted seeds of doubt into the Master’s mind. It was then the bond between Master and Padawan was irretrievably broken.”  
  
“Yet even when he was in thrall to Sideous and his puppet Snoke, so strong was Solo’s attachment to the light that he could not banish it.”  
  
“Ben Solo’s turn was a twist of a knife in the heart of the Skywalker family, breaking the bonds of the entire family, a manipulation so subtle that it went undetected by even Master Luke Skywalker until it was too late.”  
  
“So I ask the High Council, is the tool responsible for the deeds of the wielder? Can we say that any of the padawan’s decisions were freely made? Ben Solo’s soul was forged in the embers of war even though he was born into a time of peace. Now that he has free will for the first time in his life, should we not see what the Force has in store for him?”  
  
“What do you have to say for yourself, Padawan Solo?” asked Master Gallia.  
  
“I was weak and allowed myself to be used.”  
  
Master Jinn looked down at the penitent Jedi, “You were a child. His control over you began before you drew breath for the first time. Before you could defend yourself. Before you knew right and wrong, so he could influence your mind.”  
  
“Every Master here knows that defiance runs strong in the Skywalker line. Anakin, Leia, Luke, and now you. All have fought the calling of the dark. Only you have lived the life of the dark only to return to the light. Stand, Padawan Solo, so you can hear our decision.”  
  
Solo continued, “But the past remains. I have done horrible deeds. Even if I labored every moment of the rest of my life, I couldn’t possibly atone for the things I have done.”  
  
“Everyone starts somewhere. Your path has changed. Ben Solo can still bring light to the galaxy, to help where help is needed.”  
  
Master Unduli spoke.  
  
“I think we have heard enough. Stand, Padawan Solo, so we may give you our decision. Jedi assembled here at the Temple of Ahch-To, I request that we consider the fate of Padawan Ben Solo. Should we condemn this young man for the crimes committed under the direction of Darth Sideous, or should we grant him clemency?”  
  
“Before I return my decision, I have one remaining question for the padawan,” said Master Windu, “Are you Ben Solo or Kylo Ren?”  
  
“Kylo Ren is dead. I am Ben Solo, son of Leia Organa and Han Solo. I can ask no more of the High Council than to leave me here on Ahch-To, severing my connection to the Force. It is all the clemency I deserve. I will gladly live my life here as a simple man like my uncle before me.”  
  
“It is not for us to know what path the Force may choose for you. Your family has suffered the wrath of Sideous. It is only right that your family be here with you at this time as your fate is determined,” said Master Gallia.  
  
There was a stirring in the Force. All the Jedi looked back as new Jedi step from beyond the veil.  
  
Ben turned his back on the pool to see.  
  
The first Jedi appeared to be about Ben’s own age. A grin spread across his face as he saw his grandson.  
  
“Grandfather.”  
  
“Ben, I’ve wanted to speak with you for such a long time.”  
  
Next, came Luke.  
  
“Luke.”  
  
“I’m glad we aren’t fighting anymore.”  
  
Finally, a woman.  
  
“Mom.”  
  
“Ben. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be there for you.”  
  
Anakin spoke, “Ben, I know the pain you felt. I could hear you calling out to me, but I couldn’t answer. You and I have shared the same pain, the love for someone who feels like they’re part of your own soul. There is another connected to you, someone that you love as much as I loved my wife, Padme.”  
  
“Rey.”  
“I know this is hard, Ben, but if you lose your connection to the Force, she will not be the only one hurt. Great trials lie ahead. The galaxy will need the strength of the dyad to prevent suffering. Together you can accomplish great things.”  
  
“I will do what I must to make things better.”  
  
Anakin smiled, “The light is strong with you, Ben. Look in the pool, now. Do you see what I see?”  
  
A cloud of blue butterflies rose from the surface of the water and exited through the hole in the roof.  
  
The pool was clear, but there was a glint at the bottom.  
  
“Reach for it you must, Padawan Solo,” said Master Yoda.  
  
Qui-gon Jinn smiles, “The Force has decided.”  
  
Ben turned the stone over in his hand, “It’s my kyber crystal. I can feel it. But it’s clear, not blue, not red.”  
  
“It has been re-forged, as have you. You were both tools in the hands of one who wielded you for the benefit of darkness. Now, cleansed of that awful purpose, you come to us having faced a Jedi Trial like no other,” said Master Unduli.  
  
Master Gallia spoke, “We the High Council of the Jedi have witnessed the Jedi Trials of Ben Solo, Padawan Learner to Master Luke Skywalker. Ben Solo, you have been judged by the High Council and the will of the Force.”  
  
Master Windu stepped forward, “Years ago, you set out on your quest to become a Jedi Knight, accepting the will of the Force and the guidance of your Jedi Master. The path set for you on your trials was long and arduous. Few Jedi have suffered Trials as long as you have, young Solo. Your Trial is over, Jedi Solo.”  
  
This did not make sense. Weren’t they here to judge him?  
  
“We have no power over the world of the living, but were we still on Coruscant, we would now call you Ben Solo, Jedi Knight.”  
  
“I am not worthy of this title,” said the newly minted Knight, “but if I can use it to make amends for the harm I have done, then I accept.”  
  
“You have something to add, Master Anakin?”  
  
Anakin stepped forward.  
  
“I am extremely proud of you. The Jedi Order numbers only a handful and the skills you have displayed make you an ideal teacher as well as a defender of those who can’t defend themselves. You now have an opportunity to multiply the good you do by protecting and training those who can sense the force, as you have done with the Sith children from Exegol. Every good deed they do, every evil averted will begin to balance what was has done because of Darth Sideous. You may yet bring about the balance that was once foretold.”  
  
Ben nodded, “Thank you, Grandfather. But the New Alliance government has access to the First Order Core. They will soon figure out that I was Kylo Ren, if they don’t know already.”  
  
“The Force has brought you this far. Have faith that it will provide an answer.”  
  
Master Jinn added, “Cataclysmic events like the rise of the Empire and the destruction of the Jedi are a time of uncertainty. One person, respected by all sides – light and dark, the New Republic, the Rebellion, the First Order might be able to make them work together for a common goal.”  
  
Ben frowned, “That’s not me. They wanted me to be a Prince, a politician, a Jedi, a pilot, a general and teacher. That’s too much for any one person.”  
  
“You misjudge your strength, Solo. Palpatine saw your power and he feared it. He had to break you into pieces. He made you give up your family, your skills, your heart. He weakened you by taking away everything that made you strong. Only then could he control you. In opposition, the Force has given you something unseen in generations – your dyad.”  
  
The familiar tingle jolted Ben from his reality. The sounds of the world dropped away, and the bond opened.  
  
“I can't do this now, Ben. I’m a little busy.”  
  
Rey was fighting with a yellow saber, clashing against a red blade that looked very familiar.  
  
Then, as suddenly as it came, the bond dropped away.  
  
The temple had shifted. Morning sunlight again filtered into the cave. The Jedi were gone, save for his family.  
  
“Grandfather.”  
  
“Your dyad is in danger.”  
  
“We were supposed to meet on Corellia. Cresh knew. It wasn’t enough for him to kill me, now he’s after her.”  
  
“She could prevent him from becoming Emperor. She knows for certain that he is not you and he can't let her live.”  
  
“I can’t let her face Cresh alone.”  
  
“Then you must go to her.”  
  
“How? I have no ship and even if I did, it would take hours to get to Corellia.”  
  
“This temple was built here for a reason. This is a vergence, where the Force flows most strongly. It conceals a secret that even Luke did not know. Stand on the symbol of balance. I will show you how to reach your dyad.”  
  
“Notice that the mosaic depicts the connection of the light and the dark. Normally, it would take a lightside user and a darkside user to activate, but what if both skills were known by a force user? The ancient secrets of this temple may be revealed,” said the Jedi Master.  
  
“The mosaic?” Ben said as he stood, now beginning to understand.  
  
“Yes. The heart of the Temple. The symbol of balance in the force. The home of the most ancient of the Je’daii Order. Place one foot on each half of the emblem, and reach out.”  
  
Standing in the pool, soaking his boots again, he called on the force.  
  
He heard his mother say, "May the Force be with you, Ben," before the mosaic shifted. It creaked, then descended like the platform on Exegol.


	28. Beast Squadron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey needs to get the serum off the Sienar-Jaemus station without Kylo Ren's personal Squadron noticing.  
>   
> Unfortunately, Corellia's about to get a lot of unwanted attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed my personal deadline to bring on the final battle before Dec 19, 2020. Right now there's a lot going on in my personal life, but so far it's all good.  
>   
> As a treat, I've broken the chapter into parts so I can post the first part.

[](https://imgur.com/vYryoQZ)  
  
  
Lieutenant Brenson barked, “Beast Squadron. Parade Formation.”  
  
Beast Squadron fell in - pilots, demolition experts, trackers, close-combat specialists, technicians – the best the First Order had to offer, all carefully chosen to serve the needs of their Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren.  
  
Two troopers, also clad in black and red armor despite being officially off duty, rushed to join the neatly ordered rows that stood on the deck awaiting the orders of their Commander.  
  
“Attention!” came the alert, redundant to the tri-tone whistle that rang through every helmet com.  
  
Three dozen arms snapped in salute.  
  
“Beast Squadron, present,” ordered the deck officer.  
  
An enthusiastic yowl echoed throughout the hangar bay.  
  
“The troops are ready for you, Commander Valut.”  
  
Valut’s immaculate white uniform contrasted with his dark caf-colored skin. Tan striations – evidence of a mauling – slashed across his left cheek. His black hair was shot through with gray, but his face was ageless.  
  
_The dozen steps before her seemed to go on forever. Rey walked down the metal stairs in full view of the troops lined up on the polished deck, trying to exude boredom rather than fear.  
  
They paid her no mind. At this moment she was glad to be a nobody.  
_  
The commander continued, “Tonight we celebrate Kylo Ren’s victory at Benathy. Our Supreme Leader offered himself to the Zillo Beast so the troops of the 709th could live. That heroic deed is our inspiration. We are here for the First Order and each other. But above all, we are here for Kylo Ren. No one is left behind.”  
  
The corps yowled again in refrain.  
  
_Rey saw Rose tinkering with a command console not far from a high-end TIE that was surrounded by its own force shield. She pulled a chip excisor from her tool belt and adjusted her path. Rose looked up from her ‘work’ and gave Rey a half-smile of relief.  
_  
“And so, tonight we resolve to pursue Order Number One – to save Kylo Ren from the New Alliance government. No one is left behind.”  
  
The Corps growled its agreement.  
  
“The New Alliance government has not yet secured the loyalty of the peoples of the Galaxy. They have failed to restore order after the attack from the Sith Ships sent by Emperor Palaptine.”  
  
Valut couldn’t tell if the grunt of displeasure from his troops was aimed at the New Alliance government or the Final Order that had triggered the final revolt that had reduced the First Order to a fraction of its former size.  
  
“Jailbreaks, food shortages, forest fires, pirate raids, and falling wreckage are stretching their forces thin. We are the force that will turn the tide. We will return things to the way they should be. We will be welcomed as we bring safety and order to the galaxy once again.”  
  
Valut surveyed his troops. He knew they were weary of the waiting. He’d drilled them constantly, keeping them on their toes. Warriors like these did not like waiting while chaos roiled the galaxy.  
  
Most of the faces were hidden behind helmets, but he knew the minds of his troops. Loyalty was his specialty.  
  
Kylo Ren remained among the missing, gone for more than a week. These were the best troops, the most loyal, but they longed for a mission, for a purpose. This goal would give them hope.  
  
“The holonet is saturated with bounty notifications. But we know better.”  
  
Another commander would have hidden the news he had just learned fearing it would demoralize his troops, but he was no ordinary commander, and these were no ordinary troops.  
  
“Sadie, the transmission, please.”  
  
The mascot droid SAD1 padded from the edge of the assembly on the paws that had disemboweled her share of enemies. The metal Alossian Battlecat stood in the center of the parade ground.  
  
The air above the droid fluttered, then the shimmering blue holo of a man appeared in the center of a data display. The man was haggard, his hands cuffed with oversized binders and his dark hair stringy and unkempt. His head was jerked up by an unseen hand, showing a face covered in bruises and bloody wounds.  
  
_There was no mistaking that face.  
  
Rey stopped, stunned.  
  
That face. Ben’s face.  
  
_Could she have so horribly wrong about Ben’s circumstances? Had he been in prison not on a ship?  
  
She’d been foolish to give him the compass. It would do him no good there.  
  
She’d find a way to save him but right now, the best thing she could do would be to save the people of Proanta.  
_  
Commander Valut continued, “The genetic scan attached to this report is conclusive. This man is Kylo Ren.”  
  
This time, silence reigned.  
  
“Beast Squadron is vigilant, loyal, and steadfast. We will defend Kylo Ren until death. We will not leave him behind.”  
  
An unprompted growl rose from the assembled troop, building in a wave from barely audible to thunderous.  
  
“The New Alliance government knows what we hold in exchange and its value to the people of Proanta IV. Their time is running out. We remain resolute despite the faithlessness of the remainder of the First Order.”  
Valut regarded Beast Squadron intensely.  
  
“We all have hearts. We all feel the suffering of the people of Proanta, but this is larger than the needs of one people or one planet. The serum didn’t fall into our hands by chance. It was given to us to achieve our goal of a better galaxy. We will force the New Alliance government to surrender Kylo Ren.”  
  
Sadie interrupted.  
  
“Commander Valut, there is a priority communication from the ‘Firebrand.’ Admiral Noheres is requesting a private comm channel.”  
  
“Display, Sadie. What she has to say she can say to us all.”  
  
“Commander Valut,” addressed the steel-eyed woman on the hologram that emerged from Sadie’s projector.  
  
“Admiral Noheres. How is Ketzali treating you?”  
  
“You know damned well Ketzali is a Resistance-infested hell-hole. I’ll be glad to leave it behind me. Unfortunately, we’re being stalked by a New Alliance picket. They’re using our own tech against us. We must have an active tracker on the ‘Firebrand’. They’ve followed us through lightspeed.”  
  
“I’m sorry to hear that, Admiral. Best of luck,” said the commander, raising his hand to signal Sadie to cut the transmission.  
  
Noheres continued with barely a breath, “First Order Core states that Beast Squadron is stationed at Sienar-Jaemus with only a squadron of fighters. You will prepare your TIE pilots to defend us when we arrive at Corellia.”  
  
“I see. Our duties do not include defending your ship, Admiral.”  
  
“Your duties are suspended, Commander. You will defend the ‘Firebrand’.”  
  
“You do not have authority to requisition Beast Squadron, Admiral.”  
  
The woman’s eyes narrowed, “You will address me as Grand Admiral Noheres.”  
  
The commander’s voice did not waiver, “I was unaware of you were in the line of succession. Regardless, we are beyond the rank-and-file. We report only to the Supreme Leader.”  
  
“Your Supreme Leader is gone. Considering the price on his head, I assume he is either cowering in some pit worse than Ketzali or if the universe is merciful to him, dead. The New Republic would have his blood. I am what remains of Command. Query your database.”  
  
Sadie reported, “First Order Core verifies Grand Admiral Varna Noheres’ rank.”  
  
“As Grand Admiral, I am reassigning Beast Squadron. You will defend my ship.”  
  
“Your comments are noted, Grand Admiral,” said Commander Valut. “Despite your theories to the contrary, we have no proof of the loss of Kylo Ren. We answer to him alone.”  
  
“Ah, yes. No one gets left behind,” she said, the disgust in her voice clear, “I hadn’t intended to break your hearts, but you give me no choice. I have reliable information that Kylo Ren was captured by an ambitious young Hutt.”  
  
“You will have my attention when you provide proof,” answered Beast Squadron’s Commander, “Until then, we remain steadfast.”  
  
The Grand Admiral continued, “You have until my flagship arrives at Corellia to make your decision. It is in your best interest to defend both the ‘Firebrand’ and your station from the New Alliance. Its value in restoring the First Order to it proper state cannot be understated. Pledge yourselves to me and I will provide you with the coordinates to this Hutt’s citadel, as well as provide transport and armaments so you may fulfill this ‘duty’. Noheres Out.”  
  
The holo faded.  
  
Valut looked up from the faded projection, “Admiral Noheres has made her position clear. The source of our information is more reliable than the hearsay she believes. We will recover our leader without her aid.”  
  
The commander paced to the end of the line and back.  
  
Turning sharply, he stated, “However, we must be a united front. There can be no dissenters. If anyone here wishes to join Admiral Noheres, there will be no punishment.”  
  
He pointed across the bay to where the command shuttle sat awaiting maintenance, “Anyone who wishes to leave may board the shuttle.”  
  
There was a tense silence in the bay.  
  
Valut continued, “Anyone?”  
  
There was no movement in the ranks.  
  
A wicked smile blossomed across the commander’s face, “I thought not. Kylo Ren respects the autonomy of Beast Squadron. In return, our loyalty is beyond question. No one is left behind.”  
  
The growl that greeted his statement was earsplitting.  
  
“The honor of Beast Squadron remains intact. Who are we?”  
  
Instead of a growl, the troopers shouted in unison, “Beast Squadron.”  
  
“You are Beast Squadron, selected from the ranks for your special skills. You are the best the First Order has ever produced.”  
  
He again paced to the end of the line and turned.  
  
“We are extraordinary. We are Kylo Ren’s own. Who brought us together?”  
  
“Kylo Ren.”  
  
“Why are we here?”  
  
“To protect Kylo Ren,” said the troops in unison.  
  
“Who will we die for?”  
  
The booming voices echoed through the huge chamber, “Kylo Ren.”  
  
Valut nodded, “The First Order has failed Kylo Ren. We will not.”  
  
_The loyalty displayed by Beast Squadron was breathtaking. They’d defied their own leadership to find a man they knew might be dead or imprisoned. Not even one twitched when given the choice.  
  
He was so like his mother. Rey knew Leia’s people would have done the same for her.  
  
If only Ben Solo had been on the side of the Resistance, there would have been no one that could have stopped the Organa-Solos.  
  
That was why Palpatine – she shuddered internally at the name - had divided them.  
  
Rey and Rose worked their way around to the side of the TIE. Rey’s tracker pointed to the hold of the Advanced TIE. Inside was the small pallet of medicine in temperature-controlled containers.  
  
Rey gave the fancy ship a once-over, then turned to Rose. “We’ll fly the serum out of here while they’re distracted.”  
  
“What about Finn and Sinjir?”  
  
“The shuttle seems to be available.”  
  
Rose nodded and scanned the ship with her tech pad.  
  
She shook her head, “I can break the shield, but the flight systems are locked.”  
  
“What? Why?” asked Rey.  
  
“I don’t know. Usually ships aren’t locked until delivery. The logs say this has been locked since the control systems were installed.”  
  
The New Alliance technician paused, her fingers running over the control pad, before she continued, “Probably the only person that can unlock it is the commander. Or Kylo Ren.”  
  
Rey frowned. This was going to be more complex that she expected. She could probably use a Jedi mind trick to convince the commander to release the serum, but how would she do it without his troops realizing he was being influenced?  
  
She looked back at the Commander just as the mascot droid turn its head to look directly at Finn and Sinjir.  
_  
“Commander Valut, there are two troopers whose bio-signatures do not match.”  
  
“Are you sure, Sadie?”  
  
“Yes, Commander Valut. PN-4235 has not lost 5 kilos since last shift. And PT-4426 does not have a heart condition.”  
  
“I see,” said the Commander. He took one step in the direction of the impostors when when red lights embedded in the floors and ceiling of the Flight Bay suddenly flashed rapidly. A voice, cold and calm, announced the reason.  
  
“Proximity Alert. Proximity Alert. An unidentified ship is approaching the Station. All hands to secure stations.”  
  
Valut commanded, “Sadie, report.”  
  
Sadie’s projector, tapped into the media traffic throughout the system, showed chaos.  
  
Sirens encouraged civilians on the surface to rush to secure shelters.  
  
“Corellia Prime Space Control is issuing a code Red warning. All inhabitants should remain calm and proceed in an orderly manner to their closest shelter.”  
  
Corellian military launched fighters.  
  
“Corellia command, this is Defense Squadron Fifty-One. We are in the air. We will be in range of the target in 10 minutes.”  
  
Pleasure craft ran for cover.  
  
A high-pitched voice penetrated the barrage of sound, “I’ve got you, Grumby. Told you that barge needed more thrusters.”  
  
“She’s not a barge, Bache, she’s a yacht. You win. Just get me out of here.”  
  
And on the center projection, a large ship appeared from hyperspace.  
  
“It is not the Firebrand, Commander Valut. It is a Xyston-class Destroyer,” informed Sadie.  
  
“A Sith Star Destroyer?”  
  
“Yes, Commander Valut.”  
  
“I never thought I'd want Noheres here less, but do we have an ETA on the Firebrand?”  
  
“No estimate was given, Commander Valut.”  
  
“Of course not. Just like Noheres. The arrival of the Firebrand will likely destabilize the currently volatile situation. We need to get this locked down before Noheres and her pursuers arrive.”  
  
The chatter on the coms channels faded as a single voice reverberated over all the channels.  
  
“Attention Corellia. I am Admiral Therien of the Final Order Destroyer Domination. The Emperor requires your shipyards. Resist and we will destroy your planet. You have seen what our ship is capable of. Your planet is not required but we will spare it if you do not resist.”  
  
A single light craft shot out from the planetary surface, jumping to light speed just as it exited the atmosphere._


End file.
